Suddenly You
by bethe1tosay
Summary: Meet Trent Grey-an emotionally shallow singer with a hidden past and unyielding heart. But thanks to Aiden & Claire, Lauren Thompson enters his life. Afraid to love again, Trent will try & push her away, but instant attraction isn't easy for either of the
1. As Always Please Read First

Hi everybody! I'm finally updated this story I started a while ago. I have a couple chapters ready and I'm posted but I'm warning - I will revise/rewrite some of it but not for a long, long time so go ahead and read if you want to. There are mistakes, there are things I'm going to hate and change, and this is basically a rough draft. But I am having a great time writing it - I can't eat because all I can think is - what am I going to write abot next?! Lol, so hopefully you'll like this story... thanks, and enjoy.  
  
-Ashley 


	2. Trenton

He was killing himself.  
  
Although not in a predictable, noticable way... Not that there were any knives or ropes or anything involved... but he was killing himself. Slowly but surely, and he really didn't mind it. His life, what he had once called life, had revolved around music. Around her. Around 'love'. His music had been passionate, loud, full of reason and... Life.   
  
It didn't matter anymore. It was all gone. She was gone, and she had taken everything with her.  
  
He had once been so fervent about everything... Now he was merely... indifferent. His fingers itched, longed to pluck at the strings of his guitar, (any guitar for that matter), which now sat in the corner of his apartment. Collecting dust. He had no more DREAMS, no more HOPES. He hated everyone who tried to 'help' him. Hated anyone who tried to touch him more than physically. He had no ambitions, no infatuation with his life or the people in it. He could barely remember the last time he had smiled... And he was so angry. Angry at God, angry at those who took his life away from him. He was powerless to get it back, and that was just something he was not. How... What had he done so wrong that they would take the one thing in the world that truly mattered to him away? Had he sinned so terribly that this was the least punishment he deserved?  
  
Pain wrenched in his gut, turned in his mind, made his chest tighten. He was a man full of anger that was ready to be unleashed, but held back so securely it could only wait. Linger in the contours of his body and cause him to be someone he was not. But he could barely remember who he was, who he had been... What he had been.   
  
He didn't care. He embraced this pain; so it would settle on top of his anger.  
  
Confusion topped his emotions. Sometimes he would sit in his dark apartment, alone, for hours, even days at a time, and think... barely moving, barely breathing. Somewhere in his conscious during these times he prayed those breaths would go away... Just stop. He had nothing left to live for.  
  
His eyes swept his apartment, and he realized it was incredibly messy. Not that it mattered or anything. His eyes hooded, he stretched and layed back. His long, lean torso was uncovered, and long, ghastly scars along with scars from deep nicks in his flesh covered his satiny skin. He had a spiral sun tattooed on the right side of his chest, and both of his upper arms had similar tattooes: Two long, thin gray lines paralel each other. On his right arm he had a celtic cross tattooed on his forearm and on his left, a roman numeral seven. His body was a multitude of dark colour, beautifully tanned skin... that just happened to be pocked and marred by scars.   
  
He sat up and scratched at his unshaven jaw and the thin goatee of black hair on his chin. His green eyes took in everything, the empty Chinese cartons and pizza boxes, pepsi cans and waterbottles. Old jeans and shirts were thrown over chairs and on the table, in baskets. He hadn't realized he'd eaten at all during the past few weeks he'd been here... He'd come here to be alone, but looking over at the mistake that barely struck his heart anymore, he knew he'd failed.   
  
Even one more step away from any sort of perfection, or even worthiness of human contact... His apartment reflected the way he felt about himself, the way he treated his body. But he honestly just... didn't care anymore.  
  
He ran his hand down his chest and felt the sick welts of scars; it intensified his anger. He grunted, a low, rumbly sound, and stretched. He suddenly felt a warm hand touch his back and glide over the huge, thick scar that marred his back and ran up and down his spine... He wanted to lash out, grab her, break her. But he held still, and sighed.  
  
When the fingernail gently scraped at his jaw, played with his thin sideburns, he gritted his teeth and grinded his jaw. The minute she touched one of the silver hoops in his ear, he just about lost control. 'STOP touching me!' He wanted to shout, but instead he sat and let her nasty hands run over his face. Sick of it, he grabbed her wrist and turned his head slightly to her. "Go home."  
  
She didn't seem to hear him and she reached beneath the sheets for what lay unclothed beneath. She let out a breathy laugh, which turned into a startled gasp when he grabbed her wrist roughly this time.  
  
"I said go away, go home."  
  
He turned fully this time, meeting her face. She was exotic looking, with dark tan skin, wavy, thick black hair and almond shaped hazel eyes.   
  
But God, how she disgusted him.  
  
"Aw, so you wanna play rough, do you? You're such a sweetie..." She leaned forward to kiss him but he pushed her away, not intending to hurt her, just to get her away.  
  
"Do you think I'm joking?" He said in a deadly calm, smoothly quiet voice.  
  
The exotic looking girl's face changed, to one of utter disbelief and she shoved her hair out of her face while clinging to the sheet that covered her largely endowed bosom. "Just like that? After all you did to me last night, your just going to kick me out of your apartment?"  
  
"Baby, I don't even remember last night. Hurry up." He tossed her bra at her and wrapped the sheet tighter around his waist.  
  
She let out an annoyed gasp, and rolled her eyes. "Jesus Christ..." She mummbled, and when he continued to stare at her silently, she rolled her eyes again and quickly squeezed herself back into the mini leather skirt and tight pink shirt.   
  
Such a shame.  
  
She ran her fingers through her hair as she stepped into her stilettos, and walked out the opening into the loft.. He watched her for a moment then closed his eyes and just listened. He heard his heartbeat match the click of her heels on the cement of the apartment's floor, and before the door slammed he heard her tell him, "Those scars are absolutely repulsive, too. More repulsive than this apartment."  
  
When the door slammed, he let out a sigh. He felt dirty and used. Even more so... if that was possible. He hadn't known the girl's name... he probably met her last night at the bar beneath his loft. Drunk, he had asked her, or she had asked him, he couldn't remember, to come upstairs. Like he had with too many others...  
  
Disgust rolled through him and he collapsed on the bed. What had he become? What had he DONE? He was nothing like this four years ago and now... He was a broke womanizer with no life.  
  
Great.  
  
He rolled back over, and drenched in pity for himself, the man fell asleep.  
  
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	3. Lauren

"Oh, my God!" Angry, slender fingers raked through short, wavy reddish brown hair as the woman attached to it let out a furious groan.  
  
"Mother! For GOD's sake, as well as mine, talk to him. Meredith, there's more behind the story, I know it." There was silence for a moment. "You know what, mum, I am SICK and tired of this bullshit from you. Every single month, almost on the dot, father does SOMETHING to piss you off and you two are getting SEPERATED. For the past three years I have been on my own, working in a bookstore you refuse to believe I work in, and living off of what I earn and what daddy pays for. Dad is a GOOD man, Meredith, and I know you know this but it seems you are just looking for unnecessary attention from the WRONG PERSON. I am your DAUGHTER, remember? If this was the first or SECOND time that this happened... no, no, let me finish," The angry woman ground her teeth as her mother tried to interrupt. "I would be understanding, very sympathetic, at the thoughts of my parents getting a divorce or SEPERATING, whatever the hell you'd like to call it," Her cultured, southern tone was beginning to lose it's grace, "but not after three YEARS of it, Mother! Why don't you REALLY get a divorce so that way I can believe ONE thing you tell me?"  
  
Letting out a deep breath, the woman sank back onto the sofa littered with embroidered vintage pillows. She listened for a moment and then let out an exasperated gasp. "EXCUSE ME? Do I want you and daddy to get a divorce? No, that's not what I was SAYING, Mother, do NOT twist my words around..." She waited for the woman arguing with her on the other end to shut up. "You can't GROUND me, I'm twenty three years old! But of course YOU forget this, because obviously you've FORGOTTEN how many times you said YOU were going to separate from daddy, too!" Before her mother could argue back, she hit the off button on the cordless phone and put it back on it's cradle.  
  
She let out an angry sound, standing up and walked around the coffee table three times before marching into the kitchen. She opened the freezer and got out a pint of New York Style Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream and grabbed a spoon before rushing dramatically back out into the living room. She stopped, looked around, and then marched to the back of the room to sit in the bay window. She opened the blinds to reveal rain splashing against the glass, and she sighed.  
  
Sitting down, she watched the rain as she took a first bite of ice cream. Sighing, she leaned her head against the glass. She loved Sacramento when it rained... It made the lights of the city below her townhouse glitter.  
  
Lauren Thompson hated being 'rich'. The daughter of a Senator, she had moved to Sacramento to get away from the publicity. Her father was incredibly wealthy, and she, being an only child, was his favorite person.   
  
He spoiled her... lovingly, of course.  
  
He had bought this great, three-story townhouse for her, and paid to have it fixed up. She never wanted for anything, but the day she got a job at a small travel bookshop and let a certain-type-of-person roommate move in with her, her mother had just about disowned her.  
  
Of course, the only time she refused to agree that she had 'disowned' her daughter was when her mother had another one of her crisises. Or as Lauren called them, 'Meredith-moments'. One day Lauren knew she wouldn't be able to take it, and when that day came, she had no idea what she would do.  
  
Her mother was a crazy, dramatic woman. She had never laid a hand on Lauren, because Meredith was afraid what her husband might do to her... But when Meredith drank, and whenever Jake wasn't around... her mother would torment her verbally. Cruel, harsh words no mother should ever utter to her child, any child for that matter.  
  
Lauren put the ice cream down on the table beside the bay window, and leaned her forehead against the pane of glass, like a sad child might do. She sighed, reminiscing on things best left unthought of, unspoken of, never remembered.  
  
But still... they haunted Lauren... She sighed again, her mind sucking her into memories she would much rather forget.  
  
Lauren stood in her room, smiling to herself, her hands on her hips, legs spread. A paintbrush was held in her right hand, and paint smudged one cheek.   
'This'll be the best art project Koltin High will ever see!' Lauren said in her mind.   
The canvas in front of her was an oil painting that had taken her months to finish. It was a landscape, one of rolling green hills with splashes of blooming colour. Bright hues of blue and white completed the background, and in between one of the hills stood a little cabin, which she had painted red to stand out.  
She called the piece 'Home in Ireland'. Just because it felt right.  
Lauren was excited. She wanted to show her father, but she knew that he wouldn't be home for at least a few hours.  
Classical music played softly on the air, and Lauren felt content.  
Until she heard something bang against the wall outside.  
'Oh, no.' was the first thing that entered Lauren's mind. She wanted to run.   
The door that led into Lauren's room burst open, and Meredith, standing in her white silk robe and slippers, stepped inside. She held a glass filled with bourbon and ice, and Lauren knew her mother had been down stairs, doing her usual thing... watching soap operas and drinking.  
Lauren stepped back, 'Yes, mama?'  
Meredith merely eyed her daughter through her slit-eyed gaze. She seemed to tilt slowly forward and then backward, and Lauren was afraid her mother might pass out right there on the wood floor. "What are you doing, sweeting?"  
"N-nothing, just painting."  
Meredith's perfect, gracefully arched eyebrows rose, and her nose wrinkled just the tiniest bit. "So THAT's what that smell is..."  
Lauren said nothing, and her mother walked over to the desk and put her glass down with a loud clank. Lauren winced. She wanted to yell and scream and tremble and beg her mother to love her, but Meredith was... different. She wasn't a mother.  
Meredith stood still, emotions raged on her face just at they raged in her body. Lauren's mother turned her head, and locked her gaze on Lauren. She walked slowly over, standing just a foot away, and before Lauren realized it, her mother reached out and smacked her. Lauren fell to the floor from the force of the blow, and she instantly curled, afraid her mother would started kicking her the way she had last time.   
Meredith merely began to cry, wrapping a hand around her eyes and putting her other on her hip. She sobbed out, and kicked her daughter once. "It's all your fault I'm like this, you stupid worthless shit. Oh, God! I could have been something great, but you... You had to come along..." She kicked her daughter again, slipping on the wood floor and landing with a hard bump. Lauren looked over as her mother slumped to the floor and sobbed.   
Lauren watched, wide-eyed, but unmoving. She waited. A few minutes later, her mother stood up and grabbed her drink, and fled from the room dramatically, the ice clinking in her glass.  
Lauren began to cry, too.   
What had she done?  
  
Lauren awoke, startled. She looked around, and realized she was still alone. The apartment had gone dark, and a sliver of moonlight shone brilliantly on the dark wooden floor. She straightened, and suddenly her throat hurt as her dream hit her.  
  
"Oh, God..." Lauren moaned, rubbing her forehead. She remembered that day... She had been fifteen, a sophomore in high school.  
  
Lauren shook her head, willing the thoughts and images away.  
  
But she remembered the next morning, when her mother had come in her room and sat next to the bed, gently waking Lauren. Her mother had hugged her, and wrapped her arms around her and whispered, "Did I say or do anything to you yesterday?"  
  
"No, mama." She had answered.  
  
Her mother kissed her cheek, and then look down at the wrist she was holding that had a few bruises on it.  
  
"Darlin', what DID you do?"  
  
"I... It happened during soccer. I was playing soccer."  
  
"Oh.. alright. Well, come on, I thought we could go shopping." Meredith had smiled at her daughter, one of Meredith's glamorous, wide, eye-reaching smiles that made you want to smile back.  
  
Lauren hadn't wanted to smile back. But she did, and she got up, and went with her mother.  
  
Lauren was glad she wasn't living at home anymore. Her mother barely remembered her drunken rages, but when she did, she would spoil her child, too. Like it was her way of making up for anything she had said and done.  
  
Lauren stood up and stretched, then put the lid back on the half melted ice cream. She walked slowly into the kitchen, flipping on the lights.   
  
As she was looking through the refridgerator, she heard the door open.  
  
"Lauren?" She heard a man's voice.  
  
"Hey, dahlin, I'm in here."  
  
Robbie Young walked into the kitchen, smiling, and put his briefcase on the   
counter. "That little Southern accent of yours..." He laughed, wrapping his arms around Lauren. He had said this and done this every day since he had met her.  
  
(A/N Okay..... Just do this for me. Anyone watch Will & Grace? Well, if you do, imagine a mix of Jack and Will... or if you've seen Sweet Home Alabama, the really cool black guy. I think you'll get the picture ;-D).  
  
Lauren laughed, hugging Robbie. "Dahlin, I do it just to make you happy. Now make me happy and make us something to eat."  
  
Robbie laughed again, taking off his coat. He sighed, setting it over the back of a stool chair behind the breakfast counter in the nook. "Hmm... what do you want to eat?"  
  
Robbie Young was a prestigous lawyer in a prestigous law firm. Lauren loved the way he seemed to be two different people, but still the same person. She gazed admiringly at him, knowing he was his sweet self at home and a direct, powerful person in the courtroom.  
  
"How about chicken?"  
  
Robbie opened the freezer, and Lauren stared at him from behind. Robbie was almost 6 foot, with a lean build and broad shoulders. He had reddish brown hair with which he wore longer than most men did in a punk-looking way. He had deep, chocolate brown eyes and smooth skin, and his ears were pierced, those of which he took out when he had to go into court. He was sexy, in every sense of the word... But, unfortunately...   
"What kind?"  
  
"Barbeque?"  
  
Smiling, Robbie pulled some frozen chicken out of the freezer and placed it on the counter. He began to get our supplies for a fruit salad and butter for the bread. "Well, how was your day?"  
  
"Um, it was nice, hun. Nothing new... went to work, slept, and oh... Meredith called. We had another 'blow out' when my mother decided to have one of her 'Meredith moments'."  
  
"Uh-oh. What happened?" Robbie placed the chicken in hot water in the large stainless steel sink and wiped the silver fixtures down. He pulled a knife out of the draw and grabbed for the apples, and Lauren got up to help him.  
  
She was quiet for a moment, and as she began to cut the cantalope, she said, "Well, she called and said she and Jake were getting a divorce, again... And that I had to do something about it because I was Miss Perfect like daddy always said I was."  
  
When she didn't say anything, Robbie snorted. "What the hell do they put in the bourbon down in Louisiana?"  
  
"I have no idea, but I'd sure like to know. Anyway, she wants me to go down to Louisiana and talk to my father, but honestly, after the past million times I've gone down to just about be their marriage counselor, all they do is argue and then kiss and make up. Come on, Robbie, we know that this happens about once a month."  
  
Sighing, Robbie pushed the cubed apple slices into a blue glass bowl, and began to cut up strawberries. "You know what, you can't go down to Louisiana. I mean, you have a job, you have a life here, you have me to look after," With that, he looked over and smiled and winked at her, "and you have this date with me this Firday that you absolutely cannot miss, honey."  
  
Lauren laughed, taking the bowl and adding the cantelope slices. "Really now, dahlin? We have ourselves a date?"  
  
"That we do, with Aiden and Felice."   
  
"Ah, and where are we going?"  
  
"To a nightclub."  
  
Lauren laughed and began to slice open an orange. "And you expect me to tell Meredith this?"  
  
"That I do." Robbie continued to slice the strawberries as precisely as he was luring her into this trap.  
  
"What's in it for me?"  
  
At that, Robbie let out a loud laugh. "That satisfaction of getting to hang out with your bestest friends in the world, that's what."  
  
"Ah, okay... I'll tell her I murdered somebody and that I can't make it. Somehow I'll fit that I'm going on a wild sexcapade in there, too. Keep her guessing."  
  
Robbie laughed, "You do that..."  
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	4. Aiden & Felice

Trenton lay back against the pillows. The room was dark, with just the pale glow of the moon slanting in through the four tall, thin windows above his bed. The only light in the room came from the end of his ciggarette, which he took a hard drag from every time another thought hit him. He had received a call: Violent Turn was playing a gig Friday at Chester's. His guitar would no longer collect dust.  
  
He had no idea what to think anymore. About anything, really. He could think of lyrics to write, notes to play, going to practice at Jon's house. Of course, his life was centered on Violent Turn. His band, his creation that he shared with three other people. His core.   
  
It kept the blood running through his veins, didn't it?  
  
He took another drag on the ciggarette. He blew the smoke out of his mouth slowly, savoring the stench of it. Trent didn't usually smoke, but he had the craving, the depression for it. So he had been lighting up all night.  
  
Groaning, he rubbed his palm against his right temple and settled further into the pillows. What the fuck was he doing?   
  
They had a gig next weekend... Maybe he should just focus on that.  
************************************************************************  
(1 A.M.)  
  
"I'm worried about Trent."  
  
"He's weird, honey." Felice Bennett grumbled.  
  
"Well, yeah, but he's my friend and I've known him forever. And I don't worry about things but he's acting weird."  
  
"He's gorgeous."  
  
"Hey!" Aiden Taylor turned onto his side and knudged his girlfriend, shaking her gently.  
  
"Just kidding... God." She said the last word sarcastically, and rolled over onto her stomach. Her boyfriend could drive her absolutely fucking crazy sometimes.  
  
Aiden grumbled back at her, and lay back against the pillow, still facing her, and stared at her half asleep faced. "You look beautiful with your eyes closed."  
  
The eyes opened only slightly, and drowsy golden eyes glared at him before closing again.  
  
"It's true."  
  
"Aiden, I love you, but shut up. Go to sleep." She wrapped her slender arms around the pillow and nestled into it.  
  
"But I need to talk to you about Trent."  
  
"Trent who?"  
  
"Felice, I think he's on drugs."  
  
Her eyes opened slightly again, but this time she looked serious. Felice hadn't known Trenton Grey for a long time. Actually, hardly at all. He had come over for dinner a few times, and a handful of times to just talk to Aiden, but she hadn't really gotten to know him. But the guy had always seemed kind of strange, although she wasn't lying when she said he was gorgeous. He had wild black hair that was always unkept, blue eyes that could pierce you straight to your soul. But his voice was so... monotone, sort of. No expression, like he just spoke because he had to. But she had heard him sing, had gone to a lot of his gigs with Aiden... and that was expression enough for her.  
  
His voice was even better than his appeal. And that was pretty damn good.  
  
But not that she would switch Aiden for anything. Blinking her eyes to wake up, her eyes focused in on her boyfriend. He had short dark, wavy blonde hair and gray eyes, with lips that made her want to kiss him every time she looked at them. He was shorter than Trent by at least three inches, but then again, Trent was a giant in height, but the boy could use some meat on his bones.  
  
"Honey, Trent is Trent. I doubt he's on drugs. I mean, every time I met him he always seemed rather expressionless and has this pensive attitude... but he had very expressive eyes. That's what I remember. What's changed?"  
  
"His eyes aren't even expressive anymore. I saw him when I went out to lunch with Robbie the other day, and Trent was just... not himself. Babe, you know I don't say anything unless I'm actually worried or anything."  
  
Felice rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, but..." She leaned over and kissed him. "Look, we're going to see him in just a few days again. We can talk to him, see if anything is really wrong."  
  
Aiden stared back at her face. Felice was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, if not the tiniest. She was 5'1, half Japanese half Hawaiian, which was a crazy mix. She had straight, thick black hair down to her shoulder blades, and beautiful golden eyes.  
  
He loved her so much. Too much. A lot.  
  
Aiden smiled, and kissed her back. "Okay, okay. Go to sleep."  
  
Felice gasped and wacked him with her pillow before resting on it again. "Yeah, that's what I thought."  
  
Laughing, Aiden wrapped his arm around her and held her from behind, gently stroking her arm. They fell asleep.  
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	5. Middle of Nowhere

(A/N I'm using lyrics from bands like Neve and The Blank Theory... Oh, and Trent's voice sounds like the lead singer from The Blank Theory... If you want, you can download The Middle of Nowhere to get the feel. I'll tell you the name of the songs I'm using... thanks for reading!)  
(3 A.M. Four days before the show, in Jon's living room)  
  
Trent strummed the guitar before walking up to the mic. He signaled to Shane, who began on the drums, and then at Jon and Zeek, who both strummed their guitars, Jon on his bass. "Okay guys, let's play Middle of Nowhere." (A/N this is by The Blank Theory)  
  
They all began to play, and Trent began to sing.  
  
"I don't always recognize me, not even my own face...  
I can't take the ups and downs so, I have to take these pills.  
I got to see your face, and as you were falling away,  
You looked just like me,  
I've disconnected, I'm standing in the middle of nowhere.  
Where nothing's real... Standing in the middle of nowhere."  
  
The four men played through the night, practicing, rewriting, replaying their songs over and over again.  
  
Finally, around six thirty, Trent put his guitar down. "Hey, I'm tired."  
  
The three others shook their heads in agreement and put their instruments down. Trent disconnected the guitar cables from the amp and put his guitar in the case, then took a swig of Coke. "How about we practice same time tomorrow? Midnight, maybe?"  
  
"Aright." "Okay." "Cool." "Yep." He got a multitude of mummbled responses, and nodded at his friends while wrapping his black ski jacket around his Lucky Brand t-shirt. "Cya."  
  
Trent opened the door and walked down the steps, running a hand through his messy black hair with his freehand then running it along his jawline. He sighed, letting his hand rest at his side, and shifted his hold on the black guitar case. His square black boots clunked on the sidewalk, and his acid washed jeans were rather form fitting.  
  
Trent sighed again. He continued to walk down the cracked cement, and the tight feeling in his chest was releasing slowly. The sky was turning different shades of indigo blue that Trent had no idea matched his eyes.   
  
Trent was feeling better, the walk was helping calm him.  
  
Suddenly, Trent's depression lifted slightly. He let out a breath as he turned onto Market street. A street filled with businesses with loft's above them. It wasn't the worst part of town, but it was questionable. He walked down to the middle of the street where the fish market was, which was beginning to open, and said hello to Milan, the woman who ran the market with her family, and made his way up the stairs to a large hallway with three doors. He went to the only door on the right, and unlocked it.  
  
As he stepped inside and closed the door, he set his guitar case down and stripped the jacket off and turned on the lights. He looked around at the huge, messy loft.  
  
He sighed again.   
  
Trent saw the flashing light on the answering machine, and walked over to press play, and set his keys down. "Hey, Trent, dude we forgot to tell you when you were here that uh..." Zeek's sleepy voice echoed through the apartment. "Mandy's birthday or whatever is like... next week. Her parents are sending her to France and Italy or some crazy shit like that, so get her something. Something that has to DO with France and Italy, okay? So... yeah."  
  
Chuckling, Trent rolled his eyes and deleted the message. Mandy was Zeek's girlfriend of about seven years now, since his Junior year in high school. She was in college, a trendy, nice, pretty girl that seemed the opposite of something Zeek would go for. But they were great together.  
  
Turning around, Trent looked at his apartment again. He groaned, realizing it smelled like moldy pizza. He turned the radio on, rolled up his sleeves and began to pick up empty pizza boxes.  
  
Trent had a revelation. It was time to clean up his life.  
  
Or at least his apartment.  
  
His life was questionable.  
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	6. Opposites Attract

(A/N I stole this scene from Notting Hill. I thought it was great.)  
(7 P.M. - The Traveling Book Store, Co.)  
  
Lauren sighed as she flipped through Vogue. She looked up as she saw Janet walk by and wave, pulling her purse up on her shoulder. "Night, Lauren."  
  
"Night, Jan."  
  
Lauren watched Janet leave, and then saw a lanky, balding man in a suit stop in front of the store before walking in.  
  
"Hello, can I help you?" Lauren asked, standing up.  
  
"Um, no. Thank you." The jumpy man said nervously. He began looking around.  
  
Lauren gave a tight-lipped smile and raised her eyebrows then look down and began to straighten papers.  
  
"Would you happen to have anything on Winnie the Pooh?"  
  
"Um, no, sorry, this is a travel book store. We have things on Greece, Italy, France, South America..."  
  
"No." The man said, and kept looking shakily around.  
  
"Okay..." She sat down and continued to straighten paper.  
  
A few second later, the man asked, "Would you happen to have any art technique books?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Oh, alright."  
  
Lauren gave him a queer look from over the counter she hoped he didn't see.   
  
"What about cooking books?"  
  
"No, sir. What exactly are you looking for?"  
  
"Um, I'll look around."  
  
Lauren stared at him for a second, and watched him as he began to move up and down the aisles of bookcases filled with books. Shaking her head and trying not to laugh at the probably drunken man, she began to straighten a pile of books. She looked up when the bell on the door tinkled.  
  
Lauren wanted to gasp...  
  
Trent walked into the bookstore, unaware of what he would find. Hooking his thumbs in the belt loops of his slightly tight, rather ratty jeans, he looked around at the bookcases before looked straight ahead to Lauren.  
  
Lauren sat, trying not to stare. The man in front of her had a really, REALLY nice body. Not that she was superficial or anything, but this just wasn't something you see in a travel bookstore very often. His body was clad in a long sleeve gray shirt with navy blue stripes along the sleeves and a Vans logo across the front, jeans with ratty hems, and a pair of flip flops.   
  
Looking up, she did gasp before asking, "Can I help you, sir?" He had wild black hair and piercing blue gray eyes.  
  
Oh, boy.  
  
Trent gave a little dimpled smile, one he rarely used on strangers. But he liked this stranger, she was well... very, very attractive.  
  
"Do you have any books on France or Italy?" 'Wow, smooth one' Trent chided himself, but kept the smile in place.  
  
Lauren looked ready to burst out laughing. "Thank God your not like my last customer." She mummbled, then stood up and walked around the desk. She watched as his eyes took in her body quickly, but didn't undress her or check her out really. He was blatantly sexual, but there was something restrained about him.  
  
She turned around, and Trent's eyes checked out her small, trim back clad in a peasant shirt; and then her legs, which were in jeans tight enough to show off her figure but not be flashy.  
  
Yes, she was very attractive.  
  
She had short, shiny dark reddish brown hair that curled around her collar, and the layers were curled out around her ears (A/N Mandy Moore's hair cut).  
  
"Well," He then noticed the Southern twange. Well this girl seemed full of surprises. He wanted to kick himself. "We have five whole rows on Italy and twice as many of France."  
  
Walking to stand beside her, he watched her slender hands as they pointed out where the books were located.  
  
Averting his eyes, he began to run his fingers along the spines of the books. "Do you have any you would recommend?"  
  
Lauren looked at him, but he wouldn't make eye contact with her. It seemed almost like he was afraid to. "Well, it depends. Is this for traveling or pleasure reading or... what?"  
  
"It's for traveling. Mandy's going to Italy and France in a couple weeks for her birthday."  
  
Disappointment rolled through her just for a moment, but she pushed it down. A guy as yummy looking as this was bound to be taken!  
  
"Well, your girlfriend is going to love it. For traveling I would-"  
  
"She's not my girlfriend." The gorgeous guy laughed. "She's actually my friend Zeek's girlfriend. He's making me buy stuff for her, but I don't know her that well or anything."  
  
Lauren laughed, uncomfortable. "Oh... Well, ha..." She didn't remember what she had been talking about and suddenly she made eye contact with him. She looked away and back at the shelf. "This one is basically a tour guide. With pictures and directions and great café and restaurant listings." She pulled out a book entiled 'Mama Mia! Italiano!' which had a picture of an Italian beach and countryside.   
  
"This is perfect."  
  
She smiled at him, then walked to the end of the aisle to the bookshelf lining the farther back wall. "Now, for France..."  
  
"Have you ever been to any of these places?" Trent asked, while flipping through the pages of the Italy book. He had no idea why he asked, but he realized he wanted to know.  
  
Odd.  
  
"Well, yes, actually. I've been to Italy about seven times and France a dozen, with friends to go to ski resorts and visit the beaches. But mainly we go to Switzerland for the ski stuff."  
  
Trent's eyes widened and then narrowed a bit at that. This girl was out of his league. Way out. He had never really been outside of the United States, let alone out of California. Which wasn't really his fault, he had been brought up by an older sister because his parents abandoned them. But anyway... "That's really cool. What's your favorite place?"  
  
Lauren was silent for a moment. "Um... any beach in France. You could just lounge around and tan and drink Coke until you got sick of it. Mandy is going to love it if she's into that sort of thing."  
  
"She will." He said quietly, and then watched as Lauren pulled three books out.   
  
"Well, this book is basically the same as that one." She indicated the Italy book. "But these two have more historical stuff. I like all three, but you can take your pick."  
  
"I'll take all three."  
  
Lauren raised her eyebrows for a moment. "Sure, okay." She then heard books fall from some of the shelves and a startled, shaky gasp. Looking at Trent, she laughed and handed the books to him. "Hold on."  
  
She walked to the front of the store, with Trent following right behind her. Lauren went to the desk and looked at the security camera TV, and watched as the weird, drunken man that she had forgotten about tucked two books into his coat.  
  
Laughing, she held a finger up and said, "One moment, just... a moment."  
  
Walking down to the aisle the man was in, she bent down and picked up some of the books he had knocked down off of the shelves. "Um, sir, you might want to put those books back."  
  
"Books? What books?"  
  
"Those books that happen to be in your coat. If you just put them back I won't do anything about it."  
  
"Books? I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"Dahlin, we have security cameras." She pointed at the ceiling where two security cameras were, having no idea Trent was watching this whole ordeal.  
  
"That's nice." The man's eyes were huge, his long face playing innocent.   
  
Lauren smiled and nodded. "Well, you know what, we're closing... So, if you'd like to buy anything, now would be the time to do it."  
  
"No. Thank you." The man turned and walked out the door.  
  
Lauren laughed as she watched him and then looked at Trent. "Well, so much for buying anything." She rung the books up. "That'll be fifty-two dollars and ninety-seven cents, please."  
  
Trent pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed over a fifty and a ten. "Have you worked here long?" He had no idea why he was asking questions, usually he only spoke when he had to, but something compeled him to talk to her.  
  
"About two years, I'd say. I only moved to this city four years ago, and it helps pay for college books."  
  
"What college are you going to?" He asked as he put the change into his wallet.  
  
"Sacramento State."  
  
"Cool. And what are you studying?" He watched her hands wrap the books in brown paper and then put them into a shiny silver and black package that had The Traveling Book, Co. logo printed across both sides.  
  
"Fashion and design. I'm not sure what I'm going to major in yet." She held out the bag for him, and when his fingers brushed hers as he took it, she smiled.  
  
"Well, that's really great. I hope it works out for you. It was nice meeting you, eh..."  
  
"Lauren."  
  
"It was nice meeting you, Lauren."  
  
She smiled at him, "Thanks for visiting. Come back soon."  
  
Trent smiled at her awkwardly for a moment, then turned and walked out, pulling the keys to his beat up '63 red Mustang out of his front pocket.   
  
Lauren watched him until he disappeared from sight. It was then she realized she hadn't asked for HIS name.  
  
*********************************************************************** 


	7. Zeek & Mandy

(9 P.M. - Lauren's townhouse.)  
  
"How was your day?" Robbie asked as he put lasagna on two plates.  
  
"It was funny. This really weird guy came in the store, and I let him steal books. He was funny, though. He kept asking if we had Winnie the Pooh or cook and art books. I was like... No, sir. No, sir." She laughed, and smiled at Robbie as he handed her a plate laden with a huge chunk of lasagna.  
  
They were eating at the breakfast table in the nook, which was her favorite place in the house. It had two wide windows, and in between then a vintage mounted painting of Marilyn Monroe. The walls were painted a soft crème beige, and the table was made of oak and covered with an intricate purple table cloth that matched the padding of the high-backed chairs. In the middle of the table was a crystal vase filled with white roses.  
  
Sighing, Robbie and Lauren both leaned back, and enjoyed the room. The curtains were pulled back from the windows, and the city lights were twinkling. Lauren had come to know Robbie through Felice. Felice Bennett had moved to Sacramento from Louisiana with Lauren four years ago. She had met Aiden in college, and he introduced Robbie to Lauren. Later, he moved in, although it was against her parents' wishes for two reasons: #1 He was male and #2 He was male and gay. Her mother said it was unsuitable for a lady. But that was one act of defiance Lauren was more than glad she had done. "And actually..." She said out of nowhere, the fork stopping half way to her mouth. "This gorgeous hunk of a man came in today. He was looking for Italy and France books for his friend's girlfriend."  
  
Robbie's eyes rose in interest. "Really now? What was his name?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
Robbie laughed, "Honey, that's the first thing you find out if you think he's gorgeous. THEN, you find out if he's single. If he is, then you zone in on him. Unless, of course, you know he would be more into my type or something..."  
  
Lauren laughed aloud. "No, I'm pretty sure he was straight. But it was just interesting having someone so... wow-looking come in. I mean, guys that do usually are attached."  
  
"Well, you did number two right."  
  
Lauren laughed and took a bite of lasagna. "Thanks. Now how was your day?"  
  
************************************************************************  
(1 A.M. Zeek's Apartment.)  
  
Mandy Fischer sat on the couch and watched her boyfriend's band play. She smiled, loving every minute of it. Zeek was something her parents had had to grow used to - with his short, spiked forest green and black hair and tattooed arms, which he usually hid under one of the very few button down shirts he had that he wore around her parents. He was wearing baggy black Dickie's, which he had cut off right below the knee and were now ragged and a short sleeve gray shirt that had a one small word in the middle of the chest: Anti.  
  
How Mandy loved him. Smiling even wider, she watched as the band played. She watched Trent, who was wearing a black wifebeater and wearing loose jeans with his boxers sticking out and Vans, sing out a song they called Sour Times. His voice was mind-numbing and beautiful, something you didn't hear every day. Trent was a special guy, but there was something off about him. And there were scars she could see on his arms and on the skin that wasn't covered by the shirt that made her want to ask questions but stay away at the same time. But she never did.  
  
At the end of their song, Mandy got up and walked over to kiss Zeek. "Baby, I'm gonna go lay down, okay?"  
  
Zeek kissed her again. "Are you feeling okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm just tired. You guys sound wonderful." She told them. "I can't wait for Friday's show."  
  
Zeek kissed her neck while she talked to the guys. "Yeah, it's gonna be pretty cool. It's supposed to be a full house, that's what Jack says." Jon said. Jack was the owner of Chester's, the restaurant/bar where they would be playing.  
  
Kissing Zeek one more time before going down the hall, she smiled at the four of them. Zeek watched Mandy, who was wearing a striped turtle neck and khaki skirt, walk down the hall. All the guys looked at him and grinned.   
  
"She thinks she's pregnant, you guys." Zeek suddenly burst out when his bedroom door closed.  
  
The grins wilted a little. "Uh oh." They said.  
  
"Yeah, I'm like freaking out. I mean, her parents are like rich snobs and stuff. But I can support the baby, if there is one. I'm almost the manager of the record store now. And this isn't exactly the wrong part of town." Zeek spoke wildly, usually about anything on him mind. Half the time you couldn't say anything if you wanted to keep up with his train of thought. Plus, he added so many words in there it was hard to keep you anyway!  
  
Trent looked around at the apartment. It had two bedrooms and a kitchen with a large dining room, and two bathrooms. They were standing in the middle of the living room, which had wood floors covered with a rug Mandy had bought, and a leather sofa Mandy had insisted she wanted in here. Actually, Mandy had designed the whole living room, Trent realized. There was a mounted painting of little squares above the sofa, an armoire in the corner that Zeek had put the TV in, and shelves with vases and beautiful knicknacks on them. There were also pillows... everywhere.  
  
"This isn't a bad apartment either." Trent said in his smooth, low voice. He was tired, but he was excited. Both about the show and now that Zeek might actually be settling down now. Zeek was making something out of himself and Mandy was a really great girl.   
  
"Yeah, this is great."  
  
"Are you going to marry her, though?" Shane asked.  
  
Zeeks eyes widened for a moment, and he scratched at his whiskered jaw for a moment. "Well. Sure, yeah. That'd be cool."  
  
Shane laughed. "Well, if there's a baby, we're all here for it."  
  
Jon nodded, "Yeah, man. Now, come on, let's play something."  
  
As Trent began to sing and play, a sort of envy rolled through his body. An emotion he rarely felt, not that he ever really felt anything anyway. But he realized how lucky Zeek was; and he was really proud of Zeek, and happy for him. Trent only wished he could have something, too. Something to hold onto.   
  
He just wished he knew how much longer he would have to wait.  
  
************************************************************************ 


	8. Blue American

(8 A.M. - Friday Morning, Lauren's Townhouse)  
  
"Felice just called," Lauren called upstairs to Robbie, who was in his room. "She wants to know if tonight is still on."  
  
"Yep!" He yelled back.  
  
"Yeah," Lauren said into the phone. "What exactly is tonight?"  
  
"We're going to Chester's. There's this band called Violent Turn playing and Aiden says it has great food. He also knows the lead singer of the band or something like that. It's supposed to be awesome." Felice said as she whipped the pancake batter.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Seven."  
  
"Okay, well, I had better get ready for work. I just woke up. Love you, dahlin."  
  
"Love you, too."  
  
Lauren hung up the phone and put it back on its cradle, then headed up the narrow staircase, to the second floor. She walked into the bathroom and yelled goodbye to Robbie who was heading out to the office.   
  
Still wearing her baggy white and baby blue and pink plaid drawstring pajamas and a loose white shirt, Lauren braced her hands on the 30's-style porcelein sink. She looked up into the oval mirror and at the bright blue eyes staring back at her.  
  
"I want to go back to bed." She said out loud, and then turned to the cabinets that lined the wall and took out her small stereo and some towels. Stripping down, she turned on Placebo and then stepped into the shower stall.  
  
For some reason, she was very excited about tonight.  
  
************************************************************************  
(4:14 P.M. - Trent's loft)  
  
Trent sat on his newly acquired couch after he plugged the cables into the amp. Strumming his guitar, he began to play 'Blue American.' (A/N This is by Placebo. He's just prepping himself for the show.)  
  
Trent had written this song in one of his deepest depressions. He had been half drunk, barely awake, and this song had just sprung from his body. He opened his mouth and began to sing.   
  
"I wrote this novel just for you. It sounds pretencious, but it's true.  
I wrote this novel just for you, that's why it's vulgar. That's why it's blue.  
And I say thank you, I say thank you.  
I wrote this novel just for mom, for all the mommy things she's done.  
For all the times she showed me wrong,   
For all the time she sang God's song.  
And I say, thank you mom. Hello, mom. Thank you, mom. Hi, mom."  
  
He strummed his guitar..  
  
"But now ebonics rule our song, those motherfuckers... got it wrong.  
And I ask: Who is Uncle Tom? Who is Uncle Tom?  
Who is Uncle Tom? You are.  
I read a book about the self, said I should get expensive help...  
Go fix my head, create some wealth."  
  
Trent was sucked completely into the song, his head moved slowly back in forth, his voice coming out strong. He felt deeply about this song, although it made no sense.  
  
"I don't care for myself, I don't care for myself.. I don't care.  
I wrote this novel just for you, I'm so pretencious, yes, it's true.  
I wrote this novel just for you, just for you.  
Just for you....."  
  
Trent went back and played the opening bars of the song, and then layed the guitar on his lap. He looked at his hands, then. The back of his right one was slightly scarred, but those had faded. He had long, tapered fingers with short, square nails and large palms. The top of his fingers were flat and scarred from bleeding so much from strumming the wires, but no matter how much pain, he didn't feel it while he was playing.  
  
Trent still loved the music. He loved his guitar.  
  
And it was showtime.  
************************************************************************ 


	9. Her

************************************************************************  
(6:48 - Chester's on Main.)  
  
Lauren parked her much-hated silver BMW convertible behind the restaurant. It had been a gift from her dad on her twenty-second birthday, and she could get a new and updated one whenever she wanted. She hadn't, she even considered selling it, but she knew that would hurt Jake's feelings and make Meredith hate her even more so she kept it.  
  
Stepping out of the car, Lauren slung her small black bag on her shoulder and held it there with her arm. Clad in a crème-coloured leather jacket and a white wool v-neck shirt and a jean skirt, black flip flops because her feet hurt and she had just given herself a pedicure, Lauren hoped she didn't look too out of place. But going around to the front of the restaurant, she knew she wouldn't. The front of it was glass, and she noticed it had two levels. There were booths lining the far right wall, made of brick, seperated by oak and glass, and a bar lining the left, with stools. There was a huge, wide, open space in between the booths and bar, and there were tables with white tableclothes and plenty of chairs filling the space. Looking around, she noticed there was a small, narrow, dark hall way on the right side and a staircase with oak railing leading to the second floor, and a roped off and curtained stage under the stairs.   
  
Telling the waiter her name, he took her to Aiden and Felice's table, which was right by the front of the stage. "Hey, you guys." She walked up and let the waiter seat her and then thanked him when he handed her a menu.  
  
"You look nice." Aiden said, and Felice nodded in agreement. Felice had worn a red halter top and a jean skirt, also, with stilettos, and her black ski jacket was hanging off the back of her chair. Aiden wore a slightly tight navy blue longsleeved shirt and khakis.   
  
"Robbie couldn't make it tonight. He just called my cell and said he had extra work to do on this case or something like that. He said to tell you all hello, and that he was really sorry." Lauren smiled apologetically.   
  
"Oh, it's all right." Felice said. "We'll just have to do something next week."  
  
"Yeah, no worries." Smiling at Lauren and then leaning over to kiss Felice's cheek, Aiden stood up. "Hey, I'm gonna go talk to Trent, I'll be back."  
  
Lauren opened her menu to look at drinks. "Who's Trent?"  
  
"The lead singer of the band."  
  
"Oh, yeah." She looked up at Felice. "Have you ever heard them play?"  
  
Felice looked up from her own menu. "Yeah, they're really awesome. They could go big, but I don't know if they want to."  
  
Lauren nodded and turned to the wine list. "I am so glad it's Friday, you have no idea."  
  
Felice let out a laugh. "Oh, baby, you have no idea. Work has been so hectic lately."  
  
"You work at a palm reading shop."  
  
"Yeah, and my psychic powers are running low."  
  
Lauren laughed and looked around. People were starting to file in, filling the booths and stools and tables and some headed upstairs. "Wow, you were right when you said this place was going to be packed."  
  
"It usually is when Violent Turn plays."  
  
Aiden came back a few minutes later, and Lauren sat back and sipped her chardonay the waiter had just delivered.   
  
"The band's setting up, and Jack is back there yapping his head off." He turned to the waiter and ordered a scotch. "Anyway, Trent's happy about this gig and how many people are here." He turned to Felice. "I think you were right, honey. He's not on drugs, I mean, it seems he's feeling SOMETHING again. He's weird."  
  
Felice laughed and cupped his cheek. "Yeah, but we love him."  
  
"Yeah. That's what I get for being friends with him all through high school. Falling in love with a weird guy."  
  
Felice and Lauren both looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Well, when you put it THAT way..."  
  
Aiden laughed, too. "I know, I know. Just joking."  
  
Lauren watched as the curtain was being pulled back, and the stage was lit up. There was a beautiful set of drums and three amps with three guitars plugged in and leaning against an amp on the stage. She looked at her watch, which read seven ten, and watched as Jack came from the side of the stage to introduce the band.  
  
"Good evening, everybody." Jack was heavy set, with short black hair and a black moustache; and he was a really sweet man with an Irish accent. He ran Chester's with his friend Chester, who rarely showed up to work, anyway. "Thanks for coming. Tonight we have Violent Turn playin' for ya', and we're pretty confident this'll be a great show. So order up and sit back and enjoy the show."  
  
There was applause and whistles from a table that had preppy-looking girls clustered together staring at the stage.  
  
Smiling, she watched as four men entered the stage, and pick up their instruments. The last person she looked at was the main singer, and when she looked at his face, her breath froze in her throat. It was that guy from the store.  
  
"Hey, everybody."  
  
Yep, that was him, Lauren wanted to laugh. The same smooth, low voice with a rough twinge. Oh, Lordie...  
  
"I'm Trent Grey and we're Violent Turn. We wanted to eh... Thank Jack for introducing us, and since he already has I won't give you a recap and we'll just start. Our first song is called Middle of Nowhere."  
  
Lauren ordered her food half way through the song, not really knowing WHAT she was ordering. Her eyes were glued on the stage, and the male body clad in semi-tight, low rise jeans and his long torso covered in a tan shirt with The Clash logo on it. His black hair was wild and glinted every time he moved his head. He wore a black cuff on each wrist. He looked... like a punk. A really, really cute punk.  
  
Two hours later, Violent Turn was playing their last songs and Lauren was almost on the edge of her seat. Felice hadn't lied when she said they were awesome.  
  
Shoving away her plate, she placed her bare arms on the table and watched. As their last song ended, Trent and the man named Zeek thanked everybody and began to walk off stage, and then everyone watched in surprise as Zeek walked back up to his mic and said, "This show was for Mandy, my girlfriend!" He pointed. "I love you, baby!" Lauren saw it was the group of girls she had been studying earlier that evening. And then she watched as the pretty girl he was pointing at blushed as he sang, "I love you, baby and if it's quite all right I need you baby, Trust in me when I say.... I love you baby!" And then Zeek ran off stage and the girl promptly burst into tears.  
  
Smiling at Felice and Aiden, who were also grinning, they all stood up. "Hey, you wanna meet the band?" Aiden asked the girls.  
  
Lauren hadn't even considered that. "Um, sure." Felice nodded and linked arms with Lauren.  
  
"Okay, come on." He led them down the narrow hallway to a back door, which lead into a huge room behind the stage. The four guys were lounging around on the couches, with Jack thanking them and handing Trent, the one Lauren recognized as the lead singer and boy from the bookstore, a check.  
  
"Thank you guys so much for playing. I knew Aiden wouldn't let me down when he said you guys were fabulous!"  
  
Trent shook Jack hand then ran his hand through his hair as he looked over at the opening door. His hand froze as his heart sped up for reasons unbeknown to him.  
  
It was her. 


	10. Coffee

He blinked, forcing all feeling out of his body. It hit him hard what happened the last time he had had any sort of these feelings, and he wouldn't let it happen again. No one could get close to him.  
  
It hurt too much.  
  
"Hey, Trent." Aiden called. Trent's attitude was solemn and his demeanor cool, but he couldn't help but keep his eyes off of Lauren.   
  
"Hey, you guys. What's up?"  
  
"Hey, Trent. Guys. You were amazing!" Felice said, walking over to hug Zeek and Shane.  
  
Trent was shaking hands with Aiden, who then turned and pulled Lauren up to his side. "Trent, this is Lauren Thompson. Lauren, this is Trent Grey."  
  
Trent shook Lauren's hand. "We've met."  
  
Lauren was taken aback slightly. He looked the same, but he sounded.... Different. His eyes were gaurded, and he seemed rather unapproachable. But that didn't stop her. She gave a wide grin that highlighted her face, "He came into the bookstore to buy some presents for his friend's girlfriend the other day."  
  
Zeek heard her and walked over from where he was talking with Felice. "You actually bought Mandy something, Trent? Wow, man."  
  
He clapped Trent on the back, causing Trent to let out a whoosh of air and give Zeek a dirty glare. "Yes, actually."  
  
"Cool. Where is it?"  
  
"It's back at my place."  
  
"Oh. Alright, cool." Zeek smiled and then shook Lauren's hand. "And you are?"  
  
Lauren had an instant liking for this new comer with green and black hair. "I'm Lauren Thompson. Nice to meet you."  
  
Zeek gave her a wide, goofy grin he was famous for. "I'm Zeek Moore. Ezekial for real, but I hate that name. I'm the 'friend Trent bought a present for his girlfriend' for." He looked suddenly confused. "If that made sense. You know what I mean." He smiled at her again, and then caught the look Trent was giving him and let go of her hand.  
"Anyway, you like the show?"  
  
"Yeah, you guys are really something. I loved it." She looked at Trent as she said that then looked away.  
  
Oh, God, how she wanted to smack herself. Don't eye flirt have eye sex or whatever the hell Felice calls it. Damnit.  
  
"Well, you all should come to our show next Wednesday. It's downtown at the Fox." Shane said as he and Jon and Felice walked up to join them. "It's at eight." He grinned.  
  
Lauren smiled back and nodded. Shane had a shaved head and was rail thin with green eyes. "Sure, that'd be great."   
  
Jon, who had spiky dark brown hair and matching eyes, smiled at Lauren then at Felice. "I'm Jon." Was all he said.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Lauren shook their hands. She wasn't sure how to act around these guys, but she felt comfortable... except every time she made eye contact with Trent goosebumps rolled up and down her flesh.  
  
Trent had no idea what to say. So, he stood and listened.   
  
Felice turned to them. "Hey, it's barely after nine fourty. Why don't we all head to Starbucks and get some coffee?"  
  
They all agreed, except Trent, who stayed quiet.  
  
"My car isn't working." He said when they all looked at him. "I have a long walk home."  
  
"I can give you a ride, if you want to go." Lauren piped up.   
  
Trent eyed her warily. He hated the way his body was reacting to her. She looked gorgeous in that white shirt. "Eh..."  
  
"Dude, Trent. Come on. Coffee. Let's go." Zeek said, and knudged him. Then gave him 'the eye' to show he thought Lauren was hot.  
  
"All right. Whatever." What a shitty lie that had turned out to be. His car would now have to sit in the back of the restaurant until tomorrow morning.  
  
Zeek grinned and waved with his arm. "Well, I wanna go NOW, then. I'ma go get Mandy." He rushed out of the room with everyone filing out behind him except Trent and Lauren.  
  
"My car is around back."  
  
"Okay." He picked up his guitar case. "Would you happen to have any room for this?"  
"I'm sure we can fit it in the trunk."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, he walked with her silently out into the restaurant, which was still packed and the air was tense with excitement. "Hold on, I need to get my coat." She walked over to the table they had been sitting at, and was surprised when Trent showed up behind her and helped her get her coat on. Smiling at him, she opened her purse and took out a few more bills to add to the tip.  
  
Still silent, they walked outside. Their breath came out in smoky little puffs in the January air. "It's cold."  
  
"Yeah, I bet. Especially with that skirt on." Trent said.  
  
Lauren chuckled. "It's my favorite."  
  
Trent gave his own chuckle, which turned into a cough. "And looking at you..." he stopped in back of her when she stopped and took in her car. "And looking at this car. What is it? Armani?"  
  
"The skirt?"  
  
"Yeah." He walked around, knowing he was being rude by asking,   
  
"Well, yes. How'd you know?" Lauren didn't smile at him this time, but opened her door and flicked the switch that opened the trunk.  
  
"Lucky guess." Trent placed his guitar in the back, then slammed it shut and walked around and got in the BMW.  
  
Getting in and starting the car, Lauren glanced over at him. The Blank Theory flooded the car, and Trent looked over at her, surprise and wariness written on his face.  
  
"You like this kind of music?"  
  
"Yes, is it THAT surprising?"  
  
"No. I guess not." He looked straight forward as they pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street. He cleared his throat, and took a cuff off and placed it on the dashboard. "That's some accent you have."  
  
Since he didn't sound like he was insulting her, she said, "Yeah, I've had it all my life."   
  
Trent laughed. "Are you from Alabama or something like that?"  
  
"Louisiana, actually." She scoffed, and pulled into the Starbuck's parking lot. "Alabama, my ass."  
  
Trent smiled at that. Shit, he was warming up to her, he realized. He hid his smile, opened the door for her and then tucked his hands in his pockets.  
  
It was packed, like it usually was on Friday nights, and the hectic employees were taking down orders as fast as they could.  
  
Felice and Aiden waited in line, holding hands and talking, while the rest of the crew gathered up chairs and snagged a table on the far side of the café under a huge window. They all sat down, and got up one by one to get their orders taken when Felice and Aiden were finally at the counter.  
  
Trent got up the same time as Lauren, and they both reached the counter and blurted out. "Venti white chocolate mocha, extra cream please." They turned and look at each other.  
  
Trent gave her a stern look. "You just have good taste, is all."  
  
Lauren laughed. "Oh, is that it?"  
  
"Yeah. Duh."   
  
Lauren laughed again and rolled her eyes and knudged at his shoulder. "I would say it was the other way around." She mummbled.  
  
Trent gasped.  
  
**  
  
"What's with those two?" Shane asked as he settled back in his chair.  
  
"What?" Jon asked.  
  
"I know, dude." Zeek said.  
  
"Um..." Mandy said, with Zeek nuzzling her neck.  
  
"Hmmm..." Aiden scratched at his chin.  
  
"It's called attraction." Felice said dubiously. "Duh."  
  
"Oh." "Oh." "Oh, yeah!" An instantaneous reaction of answers and questions followed. Jon sat and looked confused.  
  
**  
"So, then, her kid sister accidently flicks her fork and sends the peas all over her date. It was great." Zeek was saying enthusiastically.  
  
Everyone was laughing and having a great time, sipping their coffee and telling stories, except Trent, who was relatively quiet and gave a few laughs here and there.  
  
"So how's college going, Lauren?" Felice asked.  
  
"It's great. The math class is killing me, but my design teacher says I have talent." She gave an embarrassed smile. "It's exciting, bit of a rush."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean!" Mandy said. "I'm taking a design class, too. I'm just a freshman, but it's a lot of fun."  
  
"Really? Do you go to Sacramento State?"  
  
"Mhmm. You're a sophomore, right?"  
  
"Yes. I haven't seen you there, maybe I will now." Lauren said.  
  
Mandy smiled and reached over and touched Lauren's hand before returning it to Zeek's. "That'd be great."  
  
Trent stared and sipped his coffee.  
  
"Our show should be even better next week." Shane piped up.  
  
"Yeah, this one has a great stage and everything." Jon said, finally getting on topic. He had been talking about his guitar strings all night.  
  
"Really?" Aiden asked.   
  
"Yeah, it's basically a bar with a freakin' stage for kareoke I bet. But we aren't kareoke." Zeek said.  
  
Lauren laughed. She really liked this Zeek.   
  
"Will you be coming, Lauren?" Jon asked.  
  
"Um, yes, I'm pretty sure. I don't think I'm doing anything."  
  
Trent turned and stared at her for a moment, before looking back down at it and stirring it with his straw.  
  
"Cool." Jon said.  
  
"So, Trent." Aiden said.  
  
Trent looked up at him. "What?"  
  
"How's life?"  
  
Trent's eyebrows narrowed and he looked down at the table for a moment before looking back at Aiden with a closed off look on his face. "Great."  
  
"What have you been doing?"  
  
Trent stared at Aiden, and he turned a slight red. He looked angry. "Practicing with the band, mainly."  
  
Zeek could feel the tension, and though he had no idea where it came from, he changed the subject. "Mandy's moving in!"  
  
Trent kept staring at Aiden, and then he looked at Felice and finally at Lauren, then back down at his coffee.  
  
"Really?" Shane asked. "When?"  
  
"Yeah, like, in two months or something."  
  
"My parents are finally letting me move out! They don't know that I'm moving in with Zeek or anything yet but well... You know, things happen. I finally just burst out and told them 'I'm twenty-one, I want my own life!'" She gave a secretive smile that Felice and Lauren understood quickly.  
  
She was pregnant.  
  
"That's really great." Felice smiled.  
  
Trent suddenly stood up and started walking away. "I have to go."  
  
They all stared at him, before giving each other questioning looks.  
  
Zeek started laughing. "Bye, Trent!"   
************************************************************************ 


	11. Never Give Up

************************************************************************  
Lauren got up and said, "What's the matter with him?" She walked after him.  
  
"Trent?" Trent kept walking. "Where are you going? What the hell is wrong?"  
  
"Go back inside Lauren."  
  
"But your guitar is still in my car."  
  
"I'll come by your work and get it tomorrow."  
  
Lauren finally caught up to him and grabbed his shoulder, and he turned around so fast and so violently she stumbled back a bit. "What is the matter with you?"  
  
Trent stared at her for a moment, his lips tight and his eyes narrow. Suddenly his face loosened up and he looked completely lost. "I don't know, Lauren. I'm just..." His face closed up again. "Go away. Go back inside."  
  
"Trent." She grabbed his arm again and was hurt and surprised when he jerked his arm.   
  
"Look, I'm just having a hard time. I don't know what else to tell you. You want me to get my guitar now? I'll get it. Let's go."  
  
Lauren didn't move, even as Trent started walking towards her convertible.   
  
"Come on." Trent almost shouted the words at her, but then he bit his lip and stood there, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry, Lauren. Look, you don't know me. Or my life. And trust me, you don't want to know me." Trent's face looked pleading. "Please. Just... Don't."  
  
Lauren stared at him, confusion written on her face. "Trent... You... You seem like, you ARE a really nice, a really great guy." She said the words slowly, her accent thickening because of the knot in her throat, which she had no idea was there until she began to speak. "I'm sure you just... I want to get to know you and I don't know why... I don't know."  
  
Trent stared at her, and his emotions all came flooding to the surface. He wanted to cry because he hated himself so much. He wanted to hate her. No one had ever seemed to want to get to know him, let alone said it, and no one had ever gotten up and gone after him when he left suddenly. "Lauren..." He said quietly. "Look. It's been a great night. This isn't going to work."  
  
"What's 'this'?"   
  
"This, us, whatever the hell you're trying to get us to be. Friends."  
  
Lauren's face mirrored her disbelief. Her mouth worked but nothing came out. "Well, whatever then. Look, let me give you a ride home." When he began to argue, she held up her hand. "Look, it'll be easier. Just get in the damn car."  
  
She walked back inside the café and grabbed her coat and purse. "I'm taking Trent home."  
  
Felice noticed Lauren looked suddenly tired. "Are you alright, hun?"  
  
"Yeah. Trent is just a handful."  
  
"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Zeek asked, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"No, not at all. He's just... a jerk." She said quietly. "I'll see you all later."  
  
"Call me, okay?" Felice said, letting go of Lauren's hand.  
  
Lauren walked out to the car and got in. She turned the car on and sat for a minute, then clicked a button that switched the CD's in the player. 'The Last Day' by Evanescence started playing, and Lauren backed out.  
  
"That's cool."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The CD changer disk thingy." Trent pointed.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Lauren, don't be mad at me."  
  
"I'm not MAD at you, Trent, I'm just confused by you." She looked over at him. "Your open one minute then an asshole the next. I've never met anyone like you, and to tell you the truth, you're giving me a headache."  
  
Trent stared at her. "You are the most straight forward person I have ever met. Other than Zeek that is."  
  
Lauren rolled her eyes and hit the gas as the light turned green. "Yeah."  
  
"Will you stop doing that?"  
  
"Doing WHAT?"  
  
"Rolling your eyes just about every time I say something."  
  
"Then stop saying stupid things and I won't roll my eyes."  
  
"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in high school again?"  
  
"You mean you actually graduated?"  
  
Trent started laughing. A loud, long laugh that even he didn't recognize. The minute he quieted down he was terribly embarrassed but didn't show it. "You're good."  
  
Lauren wanted to bang Trent's head down on the dashboard. "Where the hell am I going? Where the hell do you live?"  
  
"Just keep going straight. To Market Street."  
  
"You live there?"  
  
"Yeah. Something wrong with that?"  
  
Lauren shook her head and reached over to turn the heater on full blast. "No, not at all. I just know some people down there."  
  
"Really? You? Like who?"  
  
"Milan. She's this really sweet lady who I buy fish from."  
  
"I know her, too."   
  
"Really now?"  
  
"Yeah, I live in the loft above their business."  
  
"Well, now that I know where you live maybe I'll just stop by once in a while."  
  
"Yeah? And for what? You don't give up do you?"  
  
"Not when I get so worked up and pissed off about something, no. And for coffee or something."  
  
Trent just laughed. "Whatever."  
  
Lauren pulled onto Market Street, which was still bright and alive with people. She pulled up to the fish market and parked. She reached down and pulled the switch that popped the trunk and then looked at him. Trent looked back at her for a moment, studying her face, then got out and closed the door. She watched him in the rearview mirror as he got his guitar case out of the trunk and then slammed it shut. She rolled down his window as he walked by. "See ya' Wednesday, Sugar."  
  
Trent looked at her and gave her a queer look. "Yeah, yeah. Night."  
  
He walked away.  
************************************************************************  
Robbie walked downstairs when he heard the door open. "How was the show?"  
  
Lauren layed her coat down on the upholstered chair near the door and threw her purse on top of it. "It was great, and I saw the guy from the bookstore again."  
  
"Really? Crazy. He was there?"  
  
"No. Yes. He was the lead singer of Violent Twist, Violent Turn whatever the hell the name of his band is called."  
  
"I take it things didn't go over too well?" Robbie crossed his arms over his chest. He was still wearing his slacks, but only his undershirt and socks.   
  
"No. He said he didn't want what I was trying to force on him. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I mean, he got up during the middle of coffee and walked out so I went after him and he said I didn't want to get to know him and all this crazy jibberish. Then I talked him into letting me take him home, and he left this in my car." She took off the black cuff she had found on her dashboard and handed it to him. "I'm ready to do a voodoo spell on it and cast it into the fire."  
  
Robbie laughed and then sniffed it. "Well, he smells pretty damn good. What is he, a punk?"  
  
"No. He's like a... he sings rock-ish music, plays the guitar... He looks like a sleepy rocker. That sounds retarded."  
  
Robbie laughed. "Well, I need to see this guy."  
  
"You should have come with us tonight."  
  
"I know, but the firm made me work hard on this stupid case that I'm not even close to being done with." He moved forward and enveloped Lauren in his arms. "I'm sure it was great though."  
  
"I'm going to their next gig on Wednesday."  
  
"Why? Not to see this jerk off again, I hope." Robbie pulled away slightly.  
  
"No, Zeek invited me."  
  
"Ohh, so now you know the band. That's cool." He kissed her forhead then let go and moved towards the doorway that led into the kitchen. "You want some tea?"  
  
"Chamomile?" She asked hopefully.  
  
"Will do." Lauren watched as Robbie got down two china cups and saucers, and then turned to the next cabinet and got down his wooden boxes of tea he kept on the third shelf. He put a tea bag in each cup, then spooned sugar into them and put hot water in. While putting a spoon into her cup, he handed it to her.  
  
"Well?" He finally said.  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"What's his name?" Robbie took a quick sip of his raspberry tea.  
  
"Trent Grey."  
  
"Oohh...." Robbie raised his eyebrows. "You like him."  
  
"I do not!" She scoffed. "He's a self-centered jerk with no regard for how people are feeling."  
  
"He noticed your accent, did he?"  
  
"Yes, but he was nice about it..." Lauren looked down into her tea.  
  
"See, you DO like him!" He set his cup down and sat down on a booth behind the counter. "Come on, admit it."  
  
"Well, how can I help it? The man is absolutely stunning."  
  
"He's into you?"  
  
"I highly doubt it. Maybe he's more your type?"  
  
Robbie laughed. "We'll figure that out after you tell me everything that happened."  
  
Lauren's lips formed a tight line for a moment, and her blue eyes clouded over. "Well... he came out on stage and I knew instantly that he was the same guy from the bookstore. Afterward, Aiden took me and Felice backstage and introduced us to the band - they were awesome, by the way - and the whole time Trent stared at me and didn't really say anything. He didn't say anything the whole night, actually, except when we were alone. Anyway, I think it was Felice or Zeek that suggested we all go out for coffee but Trent piped up for once and said his car wasn't working. Which, by the way, was a shit faced lie." She took a sip of her coffee. "Anyway, I ended up giving him a ride to Starbucks... We all sat there, and he ordered at the same time I did, and ordered the same exact thing! That bugged me! After an hour, we were all having a good time and Trent just stood up and said he had to go and walked out."  
  
Robbie raised his eyebrows again. "Problems much?"  
  
Lauren nodded. "I got up and went after him, naturally. He told me to go away, basically. And he said he would come by my work tomorrow to get his guitar, which was in my trunk. But I stopped him because I was rather infuriated that he just stalked off from his friends. And then he started telling me how I wouldn't want to get to know him, and how I didn't know him so I needed to back off. He kept switching personalities on me. So anyway, afterword I talked him into letting me drive him home. I don't remember what else happened..."  
  
"He likes you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, I don't know... But he's interested. You don't come onto people obviously, Lauren, so if he was telling you to back off and that you don't want to get to know him, he probably has some emotional issues that he wants to take care of before letting you or anyone else into his life."  
  
Lauren stared at him for a moment. "Okay, I guess."  
  
Robbie came over and placed his hand on Lauren's shoulder. "Cheer up, babe. Things work them themselves out always. If this is something meant to happen, it'll happen." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Now, I am going upstairs and going to BED. It has been a LONG day. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too." Lauren said. "Night." And watched Robbie walk out of the kitchen. She sat and stared into her tea.  
************************************************************************ 


	12. Maybe, A New Beginning

************************************************************************  
  
Trent laughed and held on to the door of the Chrysler. "Babe, watch the road!" He let out another laugh and held on to the top of his head, which was covered by a grey and black beanie. He tucked his head down further inside his thick wool black turtleneck and watched the road and the quick yellow flashes on black asphault highlighted by the headlights.  
  
"We're gonna be late for the movie! Tiffy'll kill us!" Melanie laughed, "Really!" She hit the gas and went straight down the country road, the wind whistling through the open windows, the winter wind whipping through the car. "Plus, no one's out here!"  
  
The countryside was lit only by the headlights of Melanie's car; the black trees silhoutted and porch lights glowed in the far off distance. Trent's cheeks were starting to hurt from his smile and his harsh breathing from the winter air. Exhilaration and excitement was pumping through him.  
  
Melanie slowed down to 90 mph, then sped up to 102. "Woohoo!" She shouted, the whistling of the wind getting louder.  
  
Trent leaned forward and grabbed the dashboard and then turned up the music. Della Reese was singing Come On A My House and it floated on the fast wind. He began to sing with it, and Melanie looked over quickly and smiled at him.  
  
"Come on, come on A my house! I'ma give you a candy! Come on a my house, my house, I'm gonna give you a apple and a plum and a apricotta, too, hey!" Trent reached over and kissed her hand, and wondered how long this road lasted. It seemed to be going on forever.  
  
Suddenly, Melanie snatched her hand back and turned the car. "We have three more miles until the busy road, baby! Three more miles of pure freedom!" She shouted, and handed her hand back.  
  
Trent kissed up and down her hand and inside her palm, his fingers resting on her wrist and feeling her rushing pulse. "Woah!" She shouted again, throwing her head back.  
  
Trent let go of her hand and sang even louder, rolling down the window completely and taking his beanie off. Their hair floated in the wind, her hair shining a brilliant red gold in the dim light.  
  
Melanie looked over and smiled at him, her eyes full of love, and since she didn't suspect anything, she looked at him longer than she should have.  
  
There was a startling blare of horns and screams, and then the sound of smashing glass and twisting metal as Melanie let out a scream that was cut off as the car jammed in around her.  
  
Trent's body twisted, going through the windshield. He blocked his face and head with his arms, but he felt the glass shred the skin on his chest, stomach, and back. He felt something hot and sticky ooze all over his shirt, and he lay still the minute he touched the freezing road. He lay still for a moment, before his body began to shake. He had no idea his face had gone terribly white, and the top of his skull was cut open. He shook violently, and he reached down as best as he could to make sure he was okay.   
  
"I-I-I'm just s-s-scared." He mummbled to himself, and touched his shredded sweater. Blood spilled from his split lip and a knick on his chin and poured down his face. Bringing his hands back up, he could see from the sideways lights of the twisted and broken car his hands were soaked in blood.  
  
"Oh, shit." He began to throw up, his body thriving and twisting and sweat rolled down him forehead. "Fuck."  
  
He looked down at the car, his vision shaking. Trent was terrified, and he gasped as he saw Melanie. She was still in the car, lying sideways, still sitting in the chair because of her seatbelt. Her eyes were open but they were rolled back in her head, and blood the colour of her hair ran in thin streams down her face. Her beautiful painted lips were open a tiny bit as if she were breathing softly in sleep. Melanie's arms were still at her sides, and he could tell the front of the car was smashed in around her stomach and legs, and the blood was beginning to soak the rest of her shirt.  
  
"Melanie!" Trent started screaming, "Melanie! Look at me! Melanie! Melanie!" His eyes rolled back in his head.  
  
There was complete blackness, until Trent opened his eyes and saw rushing overhead lights and shouting. "Get me a damn IV! Amy, go get Doctor Hart."  
  
The doors banged shut and Trent looked around wildly, trying to move his neck but was restrained. "Wha-what? Where? What? What's going on?"  
  
"Are you awake?" A mans face Trent didn't recognize was looking down at him. Suddenly his eyes were opened wider and a small flashlight was being shown into them.  
  
  
  
"He'll make it, doctor." A man then rushed into the room and began to cut off and peel away the remnants of Trent's sweater.  
  
"His name's Trent Grey. Blood type AB, positive. He lost a lot of blood out there." The nurse that flashed the light in his eyes was talking so fast Trent couldn't hear most of what she was saying from the blood rushing in his ears.  
  
"Oh, my God." The doctor was saying as he pulled away the bloody strips of black wool. "Stitches, he's going to need stitches. Hand me that needle." He yelled at the nurse. He threaded the needle. "Give him a shot of morphine, fast, please."  
  
Trent felt something poke at his body. It entered and then withdrew, and poked in another place. Looking down and wanting to wipe the blood from his face, he saw they were giving him shots.  
  
He lay back as he felt the nurse wash a sponge over his bloody torso, and she rung it out in a bucket right near his head. Bloody water splashed and poured from the sponge. "Oh, my God. Oh, my dear sweet Jesus." Trent had no idea if he was saying it out loud or just in his mind. Was he dreaming? What the hell was going on? Where was he?  
  
"More thread." The doctor called, and Trent saw the nurse inject something into the IV now attached to his arm and wrist.  
  
Trent suddenly felt very sleepy. He blinked his eyes and felt the nurse sponge his face down. "He has a cut on the top of his head, Hart."  
  
"Will it need stitching?"  
  
"Yes, maybe a few."  
  
"Shave his head..." Trent blacked out.  
  
**  
  
Trent lay still in the hospital bed. He ran his hand along the nightgown over his torso and felt the bumps and stitches under it. He wanted to touch his head, but refused to.   
  
  
  
Suddenly, the door opened, and the man Trent recognized as Doctor Hart walked in. "Ah, good, you're finally awake."  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"It's almost three in the morning." Dr. Hart pulled a chair over beside Trent's hospital bed. "I'm Doctor William Hart. Do you know what's going on?"  
  
"I-I... I was in a car accident." Trent said, looking down at the IV in his hand.  
  
"Yes. Now, listen, I don't know how to tell you this... Your body is going to have some scarring along your torso and along your upper and lower back. Now, over time, some of these scars may fade. You may be interested in plastic surgery..."  
  
"Where's Melanie?" Trent interrupted.  
  
"The female passanger?" The doctor's eyebrows narrowed, and he looked away from Trent as he removed his glasses and began to clean them with the edge of his white uniform shirt.  
  
"Yes, my fiancee. Where is she? Is she okay? Please, I need to see her." Trent said desperately.  
  
"Trent," the doctor said quietly. "Melanie is dead."  
  
Trent sank back in his pillows and stared at Doctor Hart for a moment, then squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop it, this is a dream. Go away. This is a motherfucking dream." He began to grip the sheets and grit his teeth. "Oh, my God." He opened his eyes. "This isn't a fucking dream. Oh, my fucking... Oh, God." Tears squeezed out of the side of his pain-stricken eyes and Trent squeezed his eyes shut again.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Grey. Is there anyone you would like me to call? Family?"  
  
"I have no one." Trent said quietly, and lay perfectly still, his eyes itching madly, the veins in his wrists and arms bulging and pulsing like mad from his grip on the sheets. "Please, go now. I'm fine."  
  
"Trent, I need to take precautions. If you are very upset and cause excess blowflow, you could pop some of the stitches and cause bleeding..."  
  
"Get out!" Trent screamed at him. "Get out!"   
  
Dr. Hart put his glasses back on and stood up, and nodded at Trent. "Just press that button," he indicated, "If you need anything." He walked out of the room.  
  
Trent let out a wild groan. "Oh, my God. Melanie!" He sobbed her name, and closed his eyes.  
  
And then he was able to roll over.  
  
Trent blinked wildly. "What the hell?"  
  
Shaking his head, Trent opened his eyes but continued to blink. "What the hell?" He repeated, then realized where he was.   
  
His body twisted in the sheets of his bed, Trent looked down at his tear soaked pillow. Realizing where he was, Trent let out a cruel chuckle. "What a bitch life can be." He said to him, and rolled over onto his back. How many times had he had to relive that night in his dreams? Be reminded every time he took his shirt off, took a shower, looked in the mirror.   
  
Flashbacks buzzed in his brain. Melanie's mangled and bloody body. Getting to see her cut up body in the morgue. The funeral, her parents. He was the only one in either car to live, and every day he blamed himself. There had been another couple in the other car. About the same age as he and Melanie had been that night.  
  
They had been only twenty-one. She was way too young to die.  
  
"God, Melanie." Trent whispered, and rolled over once more to look at his clock. It was three in the afternoon. 


	13. Subtle Flirtation

Hi :). The first paragraph of this chapter was supposed to be the end of the last chapter.. but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it. Thanks for reading! -Ashley.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Trent pulled the sheets away from his body and sat up. Putting his elbows on his knees, he cupped his head in his hands and rubbed. He groaned, and stood up to stretch. He walked over and opened the miniblinds, and gray sunlight poured in. He looked down, and watched as herds of people crowded in the market and shopping places. Suddenly, he saw a girl with her back to him that seemed vaguely familiar across the street. She turned around, and crossed the street. The girl was wearing a white funnel-neck sweater and jeans that fit her nicely, and black boots. He took one look at her hair as it glinted in the light as she crossed to the fishmarket, and knew who it was.  
  
Sitting back on his bed, Trent ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He breathed. Should he go see Lauren? Or should he just sit up here and see if she came up? Like she said she would?  
  
Since he knew she was probably lying or she'd wait until she had an actual reason that forced her to come over, he sat still and thought, "Look, man, you need to get your life back on track." He then began to argue with himself.  
  
You told her last night you wanted nothing to do with her.  
  
Yeah, but man, she's gorgeous.  
  
Dude, love equals heartache. The minute you're happy it'll get ripped away.  
  
Yeah, well, who said anything about love? I just want to see her again.  
  
You want to see her again?!  
  
"Yeah." Trent said to himself, and hurriedly got up and rushed to the window to make sure she was still there. "Crap!" He said, and ran a hand through his sleep tossled black hair. He grabbed a pair of slightly baggy jeans off the floor and just about jumped into them, and ran across to the old antique armoire his sister had given him and began to push through his shirts. He was startling him self, he cared how he looked for her. Shit. Grabbing a navy blue long sleeve shirt that had Hollister written across it in yellow, the shirt he had no idea where it had come from, he shoved it on then ran into the bathroom. "You look like shit, man." Ran through his mind, so he wet his hands and ran them through his hair a few times, popped a couple sticks of gum into his mouth, slid a pair of Vans on and grabbed his leather jacket off the chair by the door before he fled down the stairs.   
  
As he reached the store, he played it cool. Walking around and looking at the booths of fish and seafood, he finally spotted her. She was walking along the rows, a large blue canvas bag on her arm. Her eyes were focused in on the fish, and Trent came closer, watching her as she walked and studied the food. He smiled a bit, and shoved his hands in his pockets.   
  
He followed her the next few rows, never taking his eyes off of her. He had no idea WHY he was acting this way, but he was certainly enjoying himself. Suddenly, she looked up and her sky blue eyes met his night eyes and he jumped.  
  
"Oh, hey." Trent said cooly.  
  
"Well, hello there." Lauren gave a grin and walked over to him. "How long have you been down here?"  
  
"Just a couple of seconds." He lied. "I wanted fish for lunch... How conveinent."  
  
Lauren just smiled and didn't take her eyes off of his. Soon she stood right in front of him, and didn't realize just how tall he was. She stood as tall as his chest. He was about a full head and neck and shoulders taller than she, "Wow, you've grown."  
  
Taken aback, Trent just laughed. "Really? I hadn't noticed," he said sarcastically.  
  
Lauren laughed, smiled at him for a moment, and after a beat said, "Well, look. You said you wanted fish for lunch, which is why I'm here, actually. I was going to fry some mahi mahi for lunch. Why don't you come over and have lunch with me?"  
  
Trent's smile faded. Oh, God, Oh, God he wanted to say yes but another large, huge part of him was screaming no. It was still too soon. "I don't think so."  
  
  
  
"Come on, Trent." She reached over and touched his arm. "It's just lunch. I promise I don't bite."  
  
Trent looke down and at her trim, oval nails painted red. "Um... Okay, you know what.. Sure. Why not?"  
  
Lauren smiled and removed her hand. "Now be a good boy and go get Milan."  
  
Trent gave her a tight lipped smile and had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it and walked off. He came back a few moments later, with the tiny Milan on his arm.   
  
"Hello, dear. What you need?"   
  
  
  
"Hey, dahlin. I'd like a pound of this Mahi Mahi, please." Lauren leaned over and kissed Milan's cheek.  
  
  
  
"Hold on." Milan said, and walked over to get some brown paper. She came back and picked the fish up with the paper than wrapped it and folded it. "Five dollars, honey."   
  
Lauren smiled and handed over a ten. "Keep the extra. I'll be back."  
  
"Bye, Lauren. You come back, soon, you hear?" Milan patted Lauren's arm, smiled at Trent, and walked away.  
  
Trent and Lauren walked out into the sunshine, and Lauren tucked the fish into her canvas bag. "What else do you have in there?" Trent asked.   
  
"Um... I have some mangos, grapefruit, mushrooms, passion fruit, asparagus, now the fish, some bath oils I just bought and... my keys." She retrieved her keys with a smile. "I'm parked just around the corner."  
  
Trent just smiled and walked with her. He rubbed his hands together, and reached into his pocket to retrieve a gray beanie he had shoved in there the last time he had worn the jacket. He put it on his head and then blew on his hands. "It's chilly today."  
  
"Yeah," Lauren said as she pressed the button that unlocked the car. She got in and started the car and instantly reached over to turn the heater on, then put her canvas on the small space behind the seats. Trent got in beside her, and instantly put his seatbelt on before closing the door.   
  
"Leather is even colder in the winter." He commented about the seats.  
  
"Imagine white leather. That's why I got black." She winked at him and then hit the gas.  
  
"So what have you been doing all morning?" Trent asked after a few moment of silence. Classical music was playing very faintly, and the silence was making him uncomfortable.  
  
"Shopping, mainly. I don't have to go into work until four."  
  
"It's a Saturday."  
  
"Yes, but we're open Tuesdays through Saturdays. Crazy schedual." She looked over and smiled at him, and Trent felt a tightness in his chest.   
  
"So, where exactly do you live?"  
  
"Over by the new housing development." Was all she said.  
  
"Ah." He reached over and turned the music up, then settled his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes.  
  
Lauren turned on her street, and drove slowly down the lane. It was a wide road, with trees lining it and making a shady canopy overhead. There were tidy lawns lining the three story colourful townhouses that lined the street, along with a large variety of other plants and flower. Trent opened his eyes and watched as she parked in the small driveway in front of a large blue townhouse with a white trim. "Wow. How the hell do you pay for this?"  
  
"My father. Most people live in these houses when they're on vacation or something, so it's relatively quiet and very safe. I'm pretty sure that's why he let me buy it." She turned around and grabbed her canvas bag, and gave a small smile as Trent looked at her home.  
  
They walked up the three steps to the small porch with the intricate white banister and the rocking chair with the blue and white striped pad in front of the large window. She unlocked the door and let them in. 


	14. Accident

"You have a nice place." Trent said as he took in the shiny wood floor of the foyer. There was an antique dresser with a mirror that held a lamp with a beaded shade and pot of plants near the door, and a light blue runner with white tassles on the floor. There was a set of open French doors that led into the living area, which had a large white rug and lots of cherry wood furniture.  
  
"Very nice." Trent said out loud as he thought, 'Yep, WAY out of my league.'  
  
"The kitchen's back this way." Lauren said as she walked to the back of the house. Trent watched her and watched the way the overhead lights in the ceiling made her short hair glint gold. Grim, he followed her til they entered the kitchen. There was a large, stainless steel refridgerator, sink, and plenty of stainless steel appliances atop the smooth, clean counters, and the island had a large bowl filled with fruit on it. He watched as she stood on tiptoe and tried to reach one of the frying pans in the middle of the ceiling pan holder. He came up behind her and got it for her, his body pressing against her back.  
  
She came back down, and turned, her face tilted up towards his, his down towards hers. "Thanks." Lauren said quietly, and looked down. Trent moved backwards and took off his jacket and took a seat at a booth chair behind the island. He watched her put the skillet on the stove and turn the burner on, then turn and hold onto the wall to unzip her boots. She set them outside the door, and Trent stared at her feet. She was wearing blue socks with ducks and bubbles all over them.   
  
She really was full of surprises.  
  
Lauren walked over to the far counter and clicked play on the small radio, and Sarah Vaughn's mellow voice floated out of the radio singing about what Lola wanted. Lauren began to sing with it, making Trent smile, and he watched her grease the pan then retrieve the fish and a mango.  
  
She put the fish on the counter then got out a cutting board and a knife, still shaking her hips and singing, and handed them to Trent. "Don't this lunch is free, Dahlin." She winked at him.  
  
Trent chuckled and gave a small smile and started peeling the mango, watching her. He watched as her long arms unwrapped the fish, her long, smooth hands take a strip and set it on the skillet. He smiled and looked down at his own hands as he began to cut the mango into sections.  
  
"Oh, my Lordie how this smells wonderful, doesn't it dahlin?" Lauren said enthusiastically as she retrieved two plates from a cabinet. She moved to the next one and then turned and looked at him. "You want tea, wine, water...?"  
  
"Um... whatever you're having." He said, and sliced another piece of mango.  
  
Smiling, she got down two crystal wine glasses them moved to the island and disappeared behind it. He heard her open a cabinet, then close it and come up with a bottle of berry wine. "My favorite." She told him. "You will not regret comin' here for lunch, sugar. I guarantee it."  
  
Smiling, Trent replied, "Let's hope your right. Don't burn the fish."   
  
Lauren gave him an evil eye then turned back to the stove to turn the fish over. "You are truly a smartass, Trent Grey."  
  
"Yeah, I was born that way."  
  
Grinning, she turned back towards him and grabbed a corkscrew out of the drawer. She popped the top of the wine then poured it slowly into each glass. "This is what I love about the kitchen. It has a built in refridgerator thing for wine. I love it!"  
  
Trent looked at her as she handed him the glass of wine. "Yeah. What do you want me to do with this?"  
  
"You need to cut up some strawberries and grapefruit. And then I'll give you a bowl to put it all in." She winked at him and turned towards the fridge.  
  
Trent took a sip of his wine, then his eyebrows rose. "This is great." He took another sip.  
  
"You like it? God, that stuff is wonderful. I got it for like thirty bucks, such a buy. I'm addicted to it. I have like nine bottles." She took a sip of her own wine then slid the fruit over to him.  
  
"What is it?" He asked as he opened the carton of strawberries.  
  
"Blackberry wine." She grabbed a plate and scooped some fish onto it. She did the same with the other plate. "So, Trent, how old are you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"How old are you?" She turned towards him, the two plates in her hand. "It's a relatively easy question."  
  
"Why?" He sliced a strawberry.  
  
"Curiosity." She set the plates down and picked up her glass of wine and leaned forward.  
  
"I'm twenty-five. Twenty-six in April. How about you?" He slid the cut strawberries to one side and the tops to the other and reached for a grapefruit.  
  
"I'm twenty-three. Twenty-four next month. Um... how long have you lived in Sacramento?" She raised an eyebrow and took a sip of wine.  
  
"My entire life."  
  
"Ah. And," She said before he could ask anything, "How many piercings do you have in your ears? That's what I'm most curious about."  
  
Trent gave a laugh and looked down at his hands as he peeled the grapefruit. "I have three in my left ear, five in my right. How about you?"  
  
"Three in my left ear, two in my right. Five of those my parents don't know about." Lauren grinned at him and poured more wine.  
  
"Now, have YOU lived in Sacramento your whole life?" He inquired.  
  
"Nope. I've lived here almost four years. I moved here with Felice from Lousiana." Lauren reached over and topped his glass off. He thanked her with a glance.  
  
"Well, now. I remember Felice saying something like that once." He waited a beat, then asked, "What made you move here?"  
  
"We visted once when I was sixteen. I loved it. I wanted to go to college but nothing like Harvard or Yale, so I decided on Sacramento State. I was thinking maybe Orange County, but I love Sacramento. It's nice. Plus, there's a clothing store on every corner and a Starbucks right next to it. How could it be any better?" She smiled at him as she sipped her wine.  
  
"What do your parents do?" Trent asked as he sliced the grapefruit pieces.  
  
Lauren's smile faded and she looked down into her glass. "Well, my father is the Senator of Baton Rouge. He's great, you'd like him. His name is Jake. My mother," Trent noticed her tone got a tinge bitter as she spoke. "Meredith, stays at home and has tea parties with her friends every Wednesday. She works with charities, holds balls, yadda yadda. What about you?" She asked desperately. Desperate to change the subject.  
  
"I don't have any parents." He said without looking at her. Usually he would have cracked a joke or inquired if she was serious when she told him what her parents were, but he took her seriously.  
  
"Oh... I'm so sorry." Lauren said earnestly. "I had no idea."  
  
"It's okay, don't worry about it. I didn't know them myself. They died in a car accident or something like that when I was five. I was raised by my older sister Alex, whose about thirteen years older than me, and her boyfriend Orlando. That guy was wacked but he was cool - he taught me to play the guitar. That's basically my whole life story." He looked at her, his eyes filled with such emotion that she had no idea how to perceive it. Along with something she hoped was a sort of trust and also some sort of hope. Lauren realized Trent didn't open to people, and that he was hoping she wouldn't betray him somehow. How secretive he is, she thought.  
  
"You've had a hard life." Lauren stated quietly.   
  
"It wasn't too bad or anything. I mean, I went to school and always had clothes and food. Whatever I needed, basically. Alex was great. She worked her ass off at JC Penny or the Gap or where ever she was working. She always looked great. I owe her so much." He said quietly. "Anyway, where do you want me to put the fruit?"  
  
Lauren looked startled for a moment and broke the stare she had on him, and moved to the cabinet to retrieve a large glass bowl and then grabbed a large spoon from a canister on the counter. "Here you go. Thanks for cutting that up. You did a really good job."  
  
"I used to be a chef - believe it or not. I worked down at The Olive Garden and then at this fancy restaurant that I can't even pronounce for a while. But then I met Jon and he was able to get us money by preforming and I quit. Cooking sucks when you HAVE to do it." He said, and took the fork she handed him.  
  
Lauren slid him a plate, and watched him spoon fruit salad onto his plate then shove the bowl towards her. "Thanks."  
  
They sat and ate, asked a few more nonimportant questions, and had a good time.   
  
"Will you pass the salad?" Trent asked, and as Lauren slid it over she accidently knocked his glass over. Berry wine spilt all over his clothes and face, and Trent remained perfect still until the glass fell with a clank. It didn't break, and he let out a breath of relief. "God, I was worried about the glass." He let out a laugh.  
  
"Oh, my God, Trent, I'm so sorry, dahlin, I didn't mean..." Lauren grabbed a towel and rushed around and began to towel at his face. "Do you want to take a shower or something?" She rushed on.  
  
Trent then realized he hadn't showered and he was probably going to start stinking soon, so he nodded, the wine giving him a good excuse. "Sure, why not?"  
  
"Okay, okay, hold on. I am so sorry." Lauren set the towel down shakily and looked around nervously, her hands almost starting to shake.  
  
"Hey, hey." Trent grabbed her hands in his, berry wine still dripping down onto his forehead. "Calm down. Don't worry about it."  
  
Smiling at him, she said, "I know, I'm just so embarrassed." Lauren laughed, "Come on, there's a bathroom up the stairs." She led him up the stairs into a large bathroom with a huge tub and a walk-in shower stall. Trent watched as she opened some cabinets and got out some large, soft white towels and handed them to him. "I'll go and see if my roommate has anything that'll fit you."  
  
Before Trent could ask anything, she was gone with the door closed behind her. He stripped quickly of the wine soaked clothes then grabbed a mirror off the sink counter. He looked in the stall and saw a razor and shaving cream and then turned the water on hot and stepped in.  
  
Lauren entered Robbie's room and went straight to the closet. She walked in and began searching through the shirts and finally came up with a short sleeve gray and white striped shirt and a pair of jeans on a hanger. She walked out and grabbed an undershirt, then set them on a chair outside the bathroom door and went and finished her meal. She stopped eating when she heard the shower shut off, and rushed up the stairs as Trent emerged wearing only a towel. And then he saw her.  
  
'And those scars are repulsive, too!' She had said as the door slammed.  
  
Trent looked suddenly angry, and withdrew, but not fast enough that she couldn't see the scars crisscrossing his body.  
  
Lauren's smile faded. "Oh, my God, Trent, what happened to you?"  
  
"Nothing. Look-..."  
  
Lauren rushed over and grabbed the clothes and held them out. "These are Robbie's. They're new, so he won't notice they're gone or anything."  
  
Trent reached out and grabbed them, and started to close the door until he heard Lauren start talking quietly. "Trent. What are you angry about?"  
  
"Nothing." He just about hissed the word out and started to close the door until her hand on the door stopped him.  
  
"Is it about that?" Lauren looked pointedly at his chest then up at him. The concern mixed with other emotions in her eyes made him stop breathing and something inside him clicked into place. He let go of the door.  
  
"Yes, I'm sorry. They... Things happen. Thanks for the clothes." He closed the door gently, leaving Lauren standing there looking bewildered, her stomach and chest aching. 


	15. Just Breathe

**  
  
Trent walked down the stairs and turned to the hall that led into the kitchen. He walked in, still buttoning up his shirt, and the tightness returned to his chest as he saw Lauren sitting on a stool looking over sketches.  
  
"Hey," He said. The room was so quiet the word seemed to hang in the air.  
  
"Hey." Lauren replied quietly, her voice shy. She usually wasn't shy but she didn't know how to be around him. He had mood swings so violently and so unexpectantly that she had no idea how to act around him.  
  
"Um, look..." Trent began, shoving his hands wrist deep into his pockets. Lauren saw the veins in his tan arms, saw his fingers fidget in the pockets, and she looked up at his face. He reminded her of the boy she saw off Bubble Boy for a moment, with the goofy half smile and crazy, wet black hair. She smiled to herself, and listened to him. "I... I better go." Was all he said.  
  
"I'll drive you, just let me get my purse-..." Lauren began, but stopped when Trent held his hand up.  
  
"No, please. Don't worry about it. I need to walk." He put the hand back in his pocket.  
  
Lauren got up and slowly moved towards him. "It's a long walk."  
  
"Yeah, well... Gotta burn off those calories." Trent tried sarcastically. Lauren could tell he was very uneasy, but the way he kept shifting from foot to foot, rocking back and forth gently, the half smile in place and the big, hooded blue gray eyes never leaving her for even a moment.  
  
"Come on, Trent." Lauren was almost in front of him. "What are you afraid of?"  
  
You. He wanted to say, but instead, "Nothing. I just... need time alone. You know what I mean?" He realized he was looking down at her, and her up at him, as they had just about half an hour ago. He wanted to take his hands out of his pockets and ravish her, touch her, but it was way too soon. Way, way too soon. This was a special girl, he knew it, and that he could never have her. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly he felt her soft lips being pressed to his.  
  
He looked down at her, closing his mouth and kissing her back, closing his eyes. At that point, he did take his hands out of his pockets and placed them on her hips to push her closer. He kissed the sides of her mouth, her bottom lip, her top lip, but refused to get any more intimate. Trent pushed her away, his chest heaving from holding his breathe, his heart speeding.  
  
"Lauren, this can't happen." Trent held her at arms length, staring at her bright blue eyes that were filled with an emotion he couldn't read. "Look, I've already explained to you..." He looked around the room, his large hands still clamped on her upper arms. "I have to go. Thank you for lunch." And he strode out of the room.  
  
Lauren stood, absolutely bewildered, and listened to his heavy footsteps as they made their way to the front door. She listened to it open then slam shut, and it snapped her out of her confused state. Gasping, she went after him, running to the front door and barefoot out onto the cold pavement. "Trent!"  
  
Trent didn't turn around, but kept walking. "Trent!" She called again, and he turned around, still moving.   
  
"What?!"  
  
"Um... Let me give you a ride home!" Lauren shouted.  
  
"No. Thanks. I'll see you later, Lauren." He took two fingers and mock saluted to her from his forehead.  
  
Lauren let out a sound of utter frustration, her breath coming out in bright, white bursts. "Bastard." She whipped around and stomped inside, slamming the door.   
  
Having no idea why she was so furious, Lauren stomped up the stairs and entered the bathroom and stripped of her clothes. She would take a shower, and then call Felice and talk about nothing.  
  
And forget about Trent.  
  
************************************************************************ 


	16. Turmoil

Trent lay in bed that night, moonlight beaming in through the open windows. Wrapped up in a blanket, with Linkin Park screaming out Easier to Run from the other side of the room, Trent sat and contemplated Lauren.  
  
He seriously didn't know what to do. No woman had ever affected him so... much, nor so fast, and he had no idea how to deal with it. He wanted to yell at her, scream at her, kiss her... again, hug her; grab her hands... again.   
  
He just didn't want to hurt her. Or her to hurt him. To leave him. Or to disappear, like the others had. They floated like ghosts at the back of his mind, Melanie still circulating through his thoughts. He had loved her, more than he had loved himself or anyone he had ever met. She was special, but it had taken her months to get to him, to finally touch his heart and to get him to accept and love her. When he had... when he had, he had been so glad that he had. Melanie, who was small of build with crazy red hair and Irish green eyes, had the most spirit of anyone he had ever met.  
  
And no matter how much spirit and life she had in her, she had been snatched from him in a matter of seconds.  
  
He couldn't... he couldn't accept that. She had loved him.  
  
  
  
But it's not her fault she's dead. His conscious was starting to argue with him again.  
  
Well, yes... But, I trusted her so completely, I put my life in her hands. I know it's not her fault, but she's gone and she took my life with her and left me and my body in tatters. Strips of a man. If I ever trust anyone that much again, and something happens or they just pick up and leave... I would kill myself. There's something wrong with me.  
  
But if you take never take a chance, you'll never discover what you want. You'll never live more than you already have. You'll never know tenderness, love, anything you crave and need no matter how much you deny it, if you don't take a chance.  
  
Trent closed his eyes and rested his head on the pillow and felt his head nestle right in with the feathers. His conscious was telling him to take a chance on her, no need to ask questions. There was something about her... and it drove him absolutely crazy.   
  
If she really wants you, she'll fight to stay in your life. If she just gives up and doesn't push herself on you, her feelings, then she's not worth it.  
  
But she's already fought a little... Trent thought, and he let his mind wander as he fell asleep, having no idea Lauren was having the same turmoil with herself.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Lauren sat at her desk beside the window on the third floor of her house. Her feet clad in fuzzy blue slippers were crossed on the desk, and she squinted at the computer through the glare on her glasses. Her hair pinned back, a pencil behind her ear, Lauren could think of nothing but Trent. He was screwing up her college life, now. Damn, damn, damnit all!  
  
  
  
Finally giving up, Lauren stood up and stretched in front of the window. Reaching up, she drew the heavy, white and baby blue silk curtains aside and looked at the city lights below her. She stuffed her hands in the pocket of the white sweater she was wearing and sighed.  
  
How come he was affecting her so much? It honestly made no sense at all. None. Sure, she'd had sex before with a couple guys since she was a teenager, but this was MORE than just the burning sexual attraction she had felt for other men before. This was something... deeper, more... alive. She wanted a relationship with a man she knew she could never get close to unless she had some seriously awesome tactics for breaking the surface of his cool demeanor.  
  
How come she had to fall for the quiet, brooding... overly handsome, weird men? There was no denying the weird part. Trent was interesting and had many secrets, a lot of them kept in the scars he had all over his body. How had he gotten those? Where did they come from? What happened to him? He was intriguing... Trenton Grey definitely was. With that rather expressionless, deep, smooth, quiet voice and hooded, secretive eyes, he was full of mystery. And usually that turned her off and made her want to run away screaming. Too complicated.  
  
But now, physical attraction, simple chemistry were doing their works in her body and she hated it. She wished she could just shut off a valve and all thoughts and feelings for Trent would STOP. Make him go away.  
  
But Jesus, he was weird... One minute, he had that crooked, half smile on his perfect face, and his gray eyes stared at her beneath those hooded, dark eyelinds, and others he looked like he wanted to slice her throat. His emotions were more complicated than a girl PMSing.  
  
Huffing, Lauren took her black rimmed, square glasses off and walked over to her huge, mahagony slay bed and sat on the intricate blue and gold duvet cover. Setting her glasses on the elegent 1920's era mahagony nightstand she had picked up at an auction two years ago, Lauren lay back against the spread and stared at the planks of white washed wood that made up that corner of her room. She rolled over and looked at the white carpet covering the dark, shiny wood flooring and then sighed and buried her head in the covers.  
  
Her life was complicated enough with college, work, her mother... But how much worse could it get if she added Trent to the mix? Well... she thought, as she reached over to turn the lamp off... We'll have to see.  
  
The room went dark.  
  
************************************************************************ 


	17. Lunch Invitation

************************************************************************  
  
(11 A.M. - Sacramento State)  
  
"Lauren?!" A girly, high pitched voice squealed the name and Lauren let out a startled gasp and she almost tripped over her own feet. Turning around, she saw Mandy, looking beautiful clad in a white wool, thick button-over jacket and colourful scarf and low rise jeans making her way over through the crowd.   
  
Lauren felt odd. Wearing a tight navy blue knit Hollister sweatershirt, three puka shell necklaces and slightly baggy, ratty hemmed stone washed jeans and gray Vans, she looked the complete opposite of Mandy. Holding on to the strap of her khaki bookbag she had flung over her shoulder, she made her way towards Mandy.  
  
"Hey!" Mandy said excitedly when she was finally face to face with Lauren. "I knew I'd see you here one day! How are you?" Lauren was in Mandy's embrace before she realized it. She realized then why she and Zeek were perfect for each other.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks. And yourself?" Lauren hugged Mandy back before pulling away.  
  
"Oh, you know, just finishing up 2nd seimester classes. I can't wait for Spring break. Zeek said he wants to take me to the beach or a lake or something, just to get out of the city."  
  
"Isn't Spring break in April?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but who says I can't take it early?" Winking, Mandy laughed. "Hey, do you want to go out to lunch after this class, Lauren? My treat." Mandy gave a hopeful smile.  
  
Lauren smiled. "Sure, Mandy. I'll meet you over by the art building or what class do you have?"  
  
"I'm taking a business class right now. That's right next to the art building. Meet me by the access road right behind the buildings, okay?" When Lauren nodded, Mandy continued, "I'll see you later, Lauren. It was really nice seeing you."  
  
Lauren let out a bemused laugh and waved. "See ya' later, Mandy." Running a hand through her messy hair, Lauren made her way to her next class.  
  
**  
  
Mr. Shuklian was droning on and on and on about art and paintbrush techniques. For the final at the end of the month, they were to paint an eleven by seventeen watercolour using the wet-on-wet or dry technique.  
  
Lauren had jotted down that much, but was now lazily daydreaming since she knew Shuklian had no reason to call on her. Her thoughts drifted back to the night before, her thoughts of Trent.  
  
Lord, that man was irritating. But utterly intriguing. And that bugged her to no end. She would show up at his show Wednesday, and make him take her somewhere. Or make him go with her somewhere. She just had to talk to with him, had to know more about him.  
  
And those scars... Where had they come from?   
  
Her eyes narrowed in concentration and Lauren looked down at her notebook. She tapped her pencil against the metal rings, ignored the annoyed looks she was getting from other students.   
  
I have no idea what to do about this, she thought. I'm confused. Every other guy I've been with was blesssedly normal and didn't have sudden, violent mood swings. How come the one that I actually want to know all about is freaking weird?  
  
Lauren remained in her concentrated state, until she heard, "Miss Thompson? Lauren?" And finally, an irritated sound, "Miss THOMPSON?"  
  
Lauren snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? What? Oh, yes Mr. Shuklian?"  
  
"I asked if you knew what kind of technique you are going to use?" Mr. Shuklian placed his hands on his fleshy hips covered by poop-brown slacks.   
  
"Uhm..." Lauren stared at the students in front of her, who were turned around giving her mocking glances. She felt like she was in middle school all over again and wanted to roll her eyes so badly that they started to itch. "Wet on wet."  
  
Mr. Shuklian raised one bushy white eyebrow and reached up to balance his old, wire rimmed glasses. "Okay, now... Mariane, what about you?" He moved to the next student.  
  
Lauren let out a breath and went back to daydreaming.  
  
************************************************************************ 


	18. The Talk

**  
  
Mandy and Lauren walked into the restaurant and when they were finally seated, Mandy began the conversation. "So, what do you think of Violent Turn? I never really got to talk to you about it."  
  
Lauren layed her menu down over the plate and folded her hands in her lap before looking up at Mandy. "They're really remarkable. I mean, I've heard bands like theirs on the charts and CDs. Haven't they thought about trying out for a record deal or anything?"  
  
Mandy took a sip of the water the waiter brought them when they had first been seated. "I have their demo in the car. I'll let you listen to it. But... I mean, they have their demo ready and everything but they've never sent it in or anything. I have no idea why. Zeek says it's because Trent isn't ready."  
  
Lauren's eyebrows narrowed a bit, and she looked down at her menu but didn't really see it. "He's an interesting guy."  
  
"Trent?" Mandy took another sip of water and watched as Lauren nodded her head. "You know, Lauren..." Mandy said cautiously. "Nevermind."  
  
Lauren looked up at the woman across from her. "What is it?"  
  
Mandy shook her head. Her mouth was set in a firm line and Lauren could see the uncertainty raging in her eyes. Finally, she said, "I'm not handing out false hope or anything but... You're affecting Trent in a way I've never seen before. No one has ever really gotten... emotion out of him, like you do. I mean..." Mandy paused and then laughed nervously. "God, I have no idea what I'm trying to say."  
  
  
  
Lauren smiled. "It's okay. Just try, please."   
  
Mandy looked at Lauren for a moment, playing with the edge of the cloth napkin on her plate, and then continued. "I see the way he watches you, the way he acts, the way he IS around you. He's different." She paused for a moment. "I know we just met and everything, but I can tell, just by the way you're... You like him, don't you?"  
  
  
  
Lauren closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, then looked at Mandy. "That's a little obvious, isn't it? I'm definitely intrigued."  
  
Mandy smiled. "Well, you got up and went after him at Starbucks. That's when I realized there was something there. Everyone saw it." When Lauren blushed, Mandy said, "But there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Trent needs somebody. He's too closed up, he needs to breathe. But he can't because he's living in the past." Mandy touched Lauren's hand for a moment. "I can tell you're a nice, uncomplicated girl. Which is the greatest thing ever because I'm sick of people with issues." She laughed and smiled and went on, "You're beautiful, you're smart, and you're open, and you're everything Trent needs right now. So, what I'm saying is... Kind of push yourself on him. Not like, obviously or anything, but... You know what I mean. I was talking to Zeek about it the other night, and there's no denying there's attraction between you two, am I right?"  
  
Lauren smiled, showing small dimples on the sides of her chin. "Well... I'm definitely attracted to him. But Trent is really odd, and I can never tell what's up with him. He came over for lunch the other day, and I accidently spilt wine on him so he went to take a shower and when he came out I accidently saw all the scars everywhere on his chest, his stomach... Even his back. God, Mandy, there were long, skinny welts, fat, thick welts, and nicks everywhere. It was insane."  
  
Mandy nodded, and when the waiter finally came to the table, gave a sigh of relief. They ordered, and then Mandy was silent for a moment after the waiter left. "Lauren, when I first met Zeek, which was... I don't know, three years ago? Trent was engaged..." She began to look around at objects on the table and play with the napkin instead of looking at Lauren. "To this lady named Melanie. They were great together, but Mandy was a huge risktaker. Well, they were in a car accident about two months before the wedding. And Melanie died. I don't know any of the details, but I know that ever since then, Trent was never the same. When I first met him, he was attached at the hip to Melanie. He smiled all the time, his voice had actual emotions in it, and his eyes weren't so dead. He was just this laidback, friendly guy but now... Zeek thinks he's sleeping around." Mandy shook her head. "I don't think he's slept with anyone since he's met you, but... I don't know." Mandy finally looked Lauren in the eye. "Lauren, I know it's incredibly early to decide anything. You just met the guy, and he can be pretty intense. I think you just need to decide now if you want anything deeper than friendship with him, and if you're prepared for anything he might hand to you." She let out a deep breath and laughed. "Sorry, that was like... Really... Lauren, I think you're perfect for Trent. So just... try, okay?"  
  
The waiter came and placed their dishes in front of them. And Lauren stared at the crab legs on her plate before looking up at Mandy again. "I think I'm ready." She said. "I just really have to try."  
  
"Yes. There we go. Now, let's change the subject to something cheerful." Picking up the metal cracker, they began talking about art.  
  
************************************************************************ 


	19. Hit the Floor

************************************************************************  
  
(Monday morning - 4 A.M. - Trent's loft)  
  
Trent sat on the leather sofa with his legs folded beneath him, a cup of hot coffee sitting beside him on the old oak side table. A pencil behind his ear, rectangle-shaped, black rimmed stylish glasses perched on his nose, Trent wrote on a blue pad in his lap. Cave by Celebrity was playing loudly on his speakers, and an electric heater beside the couch warmed his body.  
  
On the blue paper were guitar tabs and lyrics. Trent stopped the ballpoint pen and began from the beginning. Zeek could rap the beginning, and then Trent could scream or yell the rest:  
  
There are just too many times that people have tried to look inside of me  
  
Wondering what I think of you and I protect you out of courtesy  
  
Too many times that I've held on what I needed to push away  
  
Afraid to say what was on my mind afraid to say what I need to say  
  
Too many things that you said about me when I'm not around  
  
You think having the upper hand means you gotta keep putting me down  
  
But I've had too many standoffs with you it's about as much as I can stand  
  
So I'm waiting until the upper hand is mine  
  
[Chorus]  
  
(One minute you're on top)  
  
Next you're not watch it drop  
  
(Making your heart stop)  
  
Just before you hit the floor  
  
(One minute you're on top)  
  
Next you're not missed your shot  
  
(Making you're heart stop)  
  
You think you've won  
  
(And then its all gone)  
  
Trent crossed a few lyrics out, rewrote them, and changed the guitar tabs around. He picked up the remote to his stereo and put the song on pause, then picked up his guitar and turned the amp up a little and began to pluck it out. Smiling just a bit, he wondered if Lauren would like it. Shaking his head and frowning, he growled low in his throat. He didn't want to care about what she thought.  
  
Sighing, he rested the guitar in his lap and removed his glasses. Rubbing his eyes, he took a deep breath back in. Well, it already did matter, he realized.  
  
Setting his guitar and tablet aside, Trent stood up and stretched, wrote 'Hit the Floor' messily across the top of the paper, and then faxed the lyrics over to Zeek. They could practice for the rest of the day.  
  
************************************************************************ 


	20. Demo

(1 A.M. Tuesday Morning - Lauren's room.)  
  
Mandy had lended Lauren Trent's demo CD, and it was playing on repeat in the CD player on her desk.  
  
Lauren had put one song in particular on repeat. In the booklet it was written by Trent and Zeek, and the sound was very different and upbeat, considering some of the other music. She'd heard them play this song a few times on stage. The lyrics made her wonder what they were about exactly.  
  
I am a little bit of loneliness a little bit of disregard  
  
Handful of complaints but I can't help the fact that everybody can see  
  
these scars  
  
I am what I want you to want what I want you to feel  
  
But it's like no matter what I do, I can't convince you, to just believe  
  
this is real  
  
So I let go, watching you, turn your back like you always do  
  
Face away and pretend that I'm not  
  
But I'll be here 'cause you're all that I got  
  
(I can't feel the way I did before)  
  
(Don't turn your back on me)  
  
(I won't be ignored)  
  
(Time won't heal this damage anymore)  
  
(Don't turn your back on me)  
  
(I won't be ignored)  
  
The song was called Faint (A/N: I'm using a bunch of Linkin Park's lyrics and songs off of Meteora. They are SOOO awesome *grinning*) and Zeek was rapping, Trent screaming. It was a great song.  
  
Rolling over on her stomach, Lauren ran her bare feet over each other, and wondered what it would be like to lay beside somebody every day. Rolling her eyes, she reached out and grabbed the remote off the nighttable and turned it to the next song.   
  
Listening, she liked the song a lot. The lyrics were deep, and Trent's voice sounded gravely, angry.   
  
  
  
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface  
  
Don't know what you're expecting of me  
  
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes  
  
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)  
  
Every step I take is another mistake to you  
  
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)  
  
I've become so numb I can't feel you there  
  
I've become so tired so much more aware  
  
I've becoming this all I want to do  
  
Is be more like me and be less like you  
  
Lauren looked down at the booklet. It seemed more like a regular CD you'd buy at the record store than a demo. But the real demo's they sent out were probably different than this copy. This one seemed specially made. On every other page was a picture of each member of the band, along with lyrics. On the page of the lyrics of the song she was listening to was the picture of Zeek, looking serious with his boyishly cute face and dark green and black hair. The song was called Numb.  
  
Turning to the front, which she hadn't looked at yet, she read over the lyrics to Faint and then turned the page. A younger looking Trent was staring out at her from the picture. He looked detached, unemotional, with his lips in a sexy, boyish pout, his eyes hooded, darker it seemed, with the skin and eyelids brown and thin, black eyeliner under his eyes. His shiny black hair was messy as ever, and he had his silver spacers in his earlobes (A/N: Those are the kind of piercings Brandon Boyd of Incubus have, just in case you don't know. You can look at pics of him and see what I mean) and hoops up the part of the ear she could see since his head was tilted and resting on his large hands. He was wearing his engagement ring in this picture, she realized.  
  
Looking at the top of the next page, she saw the CD was dedicated to Melanie. He was still wearing his ring even though she had died three months before. It had a few quotes from Trent and the band next to the lyrics.   
  
"I started singing because of Melanie. She believed in me, so there's no reason to quit just because I can't have her with me." Was printed in white at the top of the small, glossy black page.  
  
  
  
Sighing, Lauren wondered what Melanie was like. What she looked like, how she acted, how she made Trent feel. Shaking her head, Lauren knew it was dangerous to have thoughts like these. To make someone up in your head and try and live up to the image, and then later realize that the person you made up never existed.  
  
Lauren pulled the white afghan she had thrown over the footboard and wrapped it around her shoulders, looking at the picture of Trent. She would see him again Wednesday, and talk to him, the way Mandy and Zeek seem to want her to. The way she wanted to. 


	21. Taking it Slow

************************************************************************  
  
(2 P.M. - The Traveling Book, Co.)  
  
Few people had come in the store all day, so Lauren sat with her feet propped up on the desk, earphones on listening to Violent Turn's demo, eating donut holes while skimming through a Vogue magazine. Moving her booted feet to the beat and lightly bobbing her head, she didn't hear the bell jingle when the door opened.  
  
Trent walked in and stood in the middle of the hardwood flooring and watched with a bemused smile as Lauren bobbed her head to whatever she was listening to, and took a bite of a donut. He walked up, and leaned his forearms on the counter, watching her.  
  
Lauren stopped moving the minute she saw the shadow move across her magazine. Before looking up she sat up completely, put the donut down, and took her headphones off, and then looked up. "Can I help you, sir..." Her words froze in her throat, and she stared at Trent. "Hi, Trent."  
  
"Hey. What're you listening to?" Wearing a dark gray beanie and a forest green hoodie that had Violent Turn's logo in black across the front, Lauren wanted to melt.   
  
"Uhm... Your demo, actually."  
  
Trent was quiet for a moment and looked down at her CD player before looking at her again. "Where'd you get that?"  
  
Lauren dusted her button down blue and white striped shirt off as she stood up. "Mandy gave it to me actually. She took me out for lunch and we ended up talking about you, well, the band a bit." She knew it was somewhat a lie, but she ignored it and looked at him.  
  
Trent seemed to relax a little. He considered asking if Mandy had told her anything he might want to know about, but he figured that would just pike her curiousity and she would start asking questions. "Oh. Okay. Well, hey. I just wanted to stop by and tell you thanks for your help with Mandy's gifts. She really loved them. And I need to buy something else."  
  
"Oh, it was no problem. I remember her mentioning something about that, she was all excited. What can I help you with, though?"   
  
Trent stared at her for a moment, and then realized he didn't /i anything. Just to see her. So he quickly skimmed his brain and said, "I need a book for, uhh... Zeek. He's thinking of buying a ticket to Italy to spend that much time over there. He wanted me to stop by and get one because he was 'too busy' or something like that."  
  
Lauren gave him a confused look before laughing and stepping out behind the desk. "Okay, well, the books are still in the same place." She motioned with her hand and they went to the back of the store.   
  
Skimming through the titles of the books with her hands, she didn't see Trent as he came up and stood half a foot directly behind her. His face was close to her hair, and he breathed her in, wanting to close his eyes and sigh. Why didn't he just let this take itself somewhere? Obviously there was attraction, if they slept together and never saw each other again... well, then... The sleeping together part would be good, but not so soon, and the thought of never seeing her again... Trent clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists and shoved them in the pocket of the sweater.  
  
"Here we go," Lauren said as she turned around, a book in her hand. She found herself pressed against the bookshelf because of Trent's body and suddenly his arms were placed on the bookshelf on either side of her head. His head was bowed, so he was face to face with her, and he was searching her eyes.   
  
"Lauren, do you want this to go anywhere?"  
  
Taken aback, she pressed the book to her chest before letting the hand drop and she slid it on top of some books. "What's this?"  
  
"Us, whatever you're trying to get from me. I don't... I'm having a hard time getting what your doing. What ARE you doing?"  
  
Lauren could feel his breath softly on her face and down the unbuttoned part of her shirt. She was silent for a moment, "Trent... Ever since I first met you, I've been drawn to you. I'll be blunt about it, I am attracted to you. And I want to get to know you. I know you have underlying emotional baggage, scars, whatever, but I'm okay with that. I can handle that." She wanted to touch him but was somewhat scared of how he'd react since his face had gotten a degree harder with every wood. She could now completely see the outline of his cheek bones and the hollows of his cheeks from how thin he was. "I want you, and I don't see anything wrong with that. Do you?"  
  
Trent looked down for so long that Lauren wondered if he had heard it. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly felt his right hand cup her cheek and his lips press down on hers. Smiling, she had a sense of déjà vu. She rested her hands on his lean hips, and felt him press his body against hers. Finally, his tongue met hers, almost shyly, as though he were afraid to get any deeper, any more intimate.  
  
Trent pulled away, his breathing quiet but heavy. He looked at her, pulled away, and shoved his hands back in his pockets. She tasted better than anything, and he wanted her, but it was too soon. It seemed she may want something more than casual sex, and he felt the same way. Coming back a little closer, he rested his forehead on hers, and said quietly, "We'll just take it slow." He pulled away from her, gave her one last glance, and walked out of the small area and out the door.   
  
"Trent, you... forgot the book." Lauren said as the door closed. Smiling, she picked the book up and brought it with her to the front of the store. Well, what a beginning. 


	22. In a Hurry

************************************************************************  
  
(7 P.M. - Town house.)  
  
"Hey, doll." Robbie said to Lauren as he trotted down the stairs, loosening his tie. Lauren sat in the main entrance living room, curled in a big, elegant overstuffed chair, wrapped in a big black sweater. A roaring fire was casting the shadows into the far corners and crevics.  
  
Lauren came out of her thinking state, and looked up. "Hey, dahlin. What's up?"  
  
"Not much. I am just so glad I don't have any work that needs my attention right now." Robbie looked down at his watch. "Actually, I have a date in an hour." He grinned as he walked across the hardwood floor into the informal living rooming, his socked feet making light padding noises.   
  
Lauren laughed, and turned in her chair to look at him in the next room across the foyer. "Oh, really? With that one from last time? What's his name... Davis? The dancer?"  
  
Robbie came back in, carrying his tie in his hand. "Yes, the dancer. Quite a catch, I think." He winked as he began heading upstairs.  
  
"Well, if he liked my type, I'd take a poke at him!" Lauren yelled after him.  
  
"Ha ha!" Robbie yelled back as he closed the bathroom door.  
  
Smiling, she looked into the fire, cozying deeper into sweater and wrapping her arms around herself. She wondered if Trent was thinking about her, about this afternoon, like she was.   
  
Her smile grew into a wide grin. That afternoon had been slow, almost too slow, until Trent walked in. And how unexpected that was. Way, very unexpected.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, she remembered what he had come in the store for: A traveling book for Zeek. 'Well,' She thought, grinning to herself. 'We'll see.' Lauren picked up the phone and called Felice. She answered on the third ring.  
  
"Felice, you will never guess who showed up at the store... again."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Author's Note:  
  
I might screw this chapter up on the places and times. I think I might have mentioned the place the band was playing or something earlier... but I'm way too lazy to go back and check. So if you notice a difference... ignore it because you love me. Thanks for reading!  
  
***  
  
(7:00 - Town House.)  
  
  
  
Lauren set her keys on the shiny cherry-finished table by the door and looked up into the sterling-silver framed mirror above it. Her cheeks were cherry red as patted them to get feeling back into them. Unwrapping the snowy white scarf from around her neck and pulling the matching beanie off of her dark brown hair, she sighed. She listened to the wind howling against the door and cursed winter again. She hated cold weather.   
  
  
  
Unzipping the baby blue fleece jacket and throwing it onto the ornate chair in the corner next ot the door, she reached over to check her messages and then continued pulling sweaters off.  
  
"Hey Lauren, it's Felice. You better be coming tonight, I'm sure Trent wants to see you after what happened... Wink. You remember the show right? It's at the Fox down on 32nd street (A/N: Making places up as I go along...) at 7:30 tonight. Try and get there early, okay? Aiden and I are heading there around 6:45 to check up with the band. Another full house, I hear! See you tonight, love ya'."  
  
  
  
Smiling, Lauren looked at the clock on the far wall and then raced up the stairs. Twenty minutes... What to wear?  
  
Finally getting to her bedroom, she tread across the hardwood floor, her pointy black heels making neat clicks against it. Throwing the doors to her walk in closet open, she began pulling clothes out. Trent would probably be more closed off after last night, considering the type of guy he was, she thought, so I have to look extra hot just to keep him... interested? He better be interested...  
  
Rolling her eyes, she picked up a silky, flowy red shirt. She threw it back on the bed. Winter, winter, winter... have to dress for the weather. Lauren cursed under her breath and stormed back into her closet. She pulled out a tiny, tan wool jacket with big, round brown buttons she had gotten at some strange store in San Fransisco for an absurd amount of money. Over coat. She walked back into the closet, muttering under her breath about Trent.  
  
She searched through the racks of clothes, wondering what kind of clothes Trent would prefer to see her in. She rolled her eyes again, a huge roll that hurt her eyes. Laughing out loud, Lauren pulled out a gray American Eagle shirt with green lining, a black leather belt, and low rise, extra long jeans and tan Roxy shoes with a red stripe.  
  
Trying to keep her mind off of Trent and how stupid she thought she was for caring about what he thought, Lauren dressed quickly. Rushing down the wooden stairs into the bathroom, she grabbed a spritz bottle out of the medicine cabinet and sprayed at her dark tresses while she continued to search for mascara. Running her hands through her hair to give it a messy, spiky look, she finally found the mascara and pulled it out... and knocked out about several other bottles of junk.  
  
Groaning, she hurriedly put them all back and applied mascara and then some clear gloss and blush. Grabbing her wool jacket she had thrown on the stairs, she rushed down the stairs and into the hallway to grab her wallet and keys. Looking at the clock, she moaned. How the hell was it 7:45 already? Rolling her eyes for the infinite time, she wrote a quick note to Robbie and left.  
  
** 


	23. The Many Sides of Trent Grey

(8:07 - the Fox.)  
  
Lauren walked into the Fox and looked around. There was a huge stage in the front, where the band was already playing and Trent was strumming his guitar, singing softly. The audience was quiet, captivated, their forks moving to their mouths but their eyes never leaving the stage. The lights were dimmed except the ones by the stage, and tables were all over the place.   
  
Finally spotting Felice and Aiden, who were at a large square table by the stage, Lauren made her way between the tables to them and finally sat down just as the song ended. She looked up at Trent, who looked down and saw her, winked, and then began talking to the crowd while Lauren said, "Sorry I'm late." She reached over and took a cruton from Felice's salad.   
  
"It's okay. You only missed about two songs. The first two are like slow, mellow songs... But this is more like a concert, with screaming and yelling and everything. Look around, there's a lot of punk teen-agers." Aiden was saying. "I got to see them earlier this week practicing, pretty awesome."   
  
Lauren looked up at Trent, who was still talking. "Our next song is called (A/N: Linkin Park's Meteora soundtrack - I stole every song off of there, hope you don't mind!) Hit the Floor. Zeek here is trying out with rapping and I'm getting a sore throat, so... hope you like the song." The crowd cheered but it was drown out by a heavy bass.   
  
Lauren watched as Trent's body moved with the music, his long, tapered fingers strumming over the guitar. She looked next to him at Zeek, who was holding onto the mic and rapping.  
  
Suddenly, she watched Zeek pick up his guitar and play as Trent grabbed the mic with both hands. She watched the veins pop out in his neck and arms, and his body bent in odd angles as he screamed out. "One minute you're on top, making your heart stop, one minute you're on top, making your heart stop, and then it's all gone..."  
  
Zeek began rapping again, and Trent let go and strummed at his guitar again, his face red. He continued to scream, and Lauren watched, ignoring the waiter, as he screaming into the mic, his body twisting and bending backword and forward, his knees bending.  
  
Finally listening to the yelling waiter, but not taking her eyes off Trent, Lauren ordered and accepted an offer for a margarita. She waved him off.  
  
Zeek began rapping again, the lyrics making her pretty sure it was written by Trent. She watched him as his fingers moved, barely visible, against the strings again and again, his veins showing in his muscular arms. Lauren looked up at his chest, which was clad in a tight black shirt, as he screamed about hearing him out.   
  
Lauren smiled, and enjoyed the show and the many sides of Trent Grey.  
  
************************************************************************ 


	24. Going Places

Jon, Zeek and Trent were in a circle group with Felice and Aiden, talking and laughing. Lauren came in, having gone to the bathroom before going backstage, and when she came in, she watched Trent turn around and stare at her.  
  
Trent shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. He tapped his shoe, which was made of dark brown leather with white stripes on the sides - vintage looking - which made Lauren smile - and stretched his hands down deeper into the pockets, making his lean torso even longer under his tight black shirt. He gave a slight, nervous smile as he looked her up and down curiously. He walked to her, a few feet away from the crowd, and narrowed his head so he was looking down at her. "Hey."  
  
Lauren smiled at him, overly and embarrassingly happy that he wasn't being the asshole he usually was when he was 'uncomfortable'. "Hello. What's going on?"   
  
Trent shrugged, his crooked smile still on his face. Lauren studied his face, and saw a few thin, white scars on the tan skin of his chin and jawline. It made her smile falter for a minute, but she just grinned. "Um, nothing really... You look really nice."  
  
Lauren smiled and stared at him, her face frozen. Trent took his right hand out of his pocket and ran it through his messy, thick black hair, and she saw his cheek redden slightly. "I thought I looked like a preppy teen-ager." She rose her eyebrows in question.  
  
Trent looked at her, then, taking a chance, reached and put a loose strand of short hair behind her ear. "Na." Was all he said. Trent knew he usually would have gotten a bit offended or hurt if someone had countered his compliments... but this was a time for new growths, wasn't it?  
  
"Thank you, then." Lauren laughed, but didn't touch him - she wasn't exactly sure how to act yet. She then looked behind him, and saw that the others in the room were staring at them... silently. The minute Felice saw Lauren staring at them, she instantly began chattering and moving her hands expressively, almost wildly, as she looked back and gave Lauren a huge grin and waved.  
  
Lauren laughed, "I'm thinking maybe we should join them?" She began to walk around him when she felt his hand grab her elbow through her thick pleather jacket. She looked up at him in surprise.  
  
  
  
"I need to talk to you." He said quietly, looking straight at her. When she didn't respond he turned to the others and said, "Hey, I'm going to take Lauren home to get something she forgot. For you, Zeek." Trent said instantly when he saw Zeek open his mouth and give them a confused look.   
  
"Oh, alright man." Zeek gave his goofy grin, but the others still looked at them with bewilderment written on their faces. They just shook their heads, "Okay, see you all later."  
  
"Trent, call my cell if we're not here when you get back. We're probably going out for coffee or something again, okay?" Jon said.  
  
Trent nodded, touched Lauren's arm again as he looked at her then moved and walked across the room to grab a black hoodie with a red Zumiez logo across the front he had draped on the back of a chair. He put it on quickly and then walked over and grabbed Lauren's hand, waved at the group, and together they walked out the door.  
  
**  
  
"You guys - is there something going on I don't know about?" Jon asked, still holding his drumsticks (a/n: Ah, can't remember the name of those...) and fiddling with them.  
  
Aiden and Felice looked at each other and smiled slightly, and Aiden squeezed Felice's hand in a knowing way. "Trent's obviously interested in someone." Aiden said, and Felice let out a small laugh. "Yeah, that's kind of obvious."  
  
"But, like, he hasn't been interested in anyone for like... a million years. You know, since the accident. He's had a couple girls but I don't know... Dude, is there something special about Lauren with Trent? Or am I just imagining things? I get confused so easily." Zeek was looking at the wall blankly as he talked, and then he focused his eyes on the group. "You know what I mean?" He wrapped his hand around Mandy's waist and pulled her against his side, who smiled up at him.  
  
"Nothing to be confused about, Zeek."   
  
**  
  
Trent and Lauren walked silently through the filled, noisy restaurant. Looking around, Lauren saw the glares from some other women and girls. Reverting her eyes, she looked at the back of Trent's black sweater. When they finally got outside, Lauren instantly scooted a bit closer to Trent for warmth without noticing. Wrapping her other arm around her and watching her breath come out in white, frosty puffs, she asked. "So, where are we going?"  
  
"You know the fish market under my apartment, right?" Trent looked across the street for his car.  
  
"Yes." Lauren looked among the row of cars as well, spotting her BMW.  
  
"Well, it gets turned into a bar every night, and there's a band playing there sometimes. You wanna go?"  
  
Lauren smiled, feeling Trent's grip on her hand tighten just a bit. Only then did she realize they were holding hands and felt her cheeks burn and her insides churn. Amazing, she thought, that just a look or a simple touch or gesture can make your insides turn to mush. "Sure."  
  
"Okay, there's my car." He pointed at a freshly painted, black '63 Mustang.   
  
Lauren rose her eyebrows as they walked across the street. "Wow, did this just get painted?"  
  
"Yeah, I had some free time so I took her over to Jon's and we worked on it. Put some new interior in, too. No big deal." Trent pulled some keys from his pocket and unlocked the door for her and helped her in before walking around and getting in.  
  
Lauren watched his as he rubbed his arms before starting the car and Lauren felt a hot blast of air the minute he turned the car on. She sighed, "That feels good." She put her hands up to the heater and looked at the interior. There were new cream white leather seats and the dashboard and steering wheel were all polished. "This is really nice."  
  
Trent put his arm behind her seat and turned around to look out the rear window for any oncoming traffic. Lauren looked at the strong curve of his jawline and the veins in his throat. He was wearing a necklace with wooden beads and pooka shells that she hadn't caught before. Just then did she notice that they weren't moving anywhere and that Trent was staring at her. Making eye contact, she laughed, "Sorry," she mummbled, and looked away.  
  
"It's okay." Trent laughed, too and pulled out. "What were you looking at?"  
  
"Your necklace. I like it."  
  
Trent put both hands on the steering wheel and spun it, then began to drive down the long stretch of road, putting his arm back behind her seat. "Oh. I got that at the beach a couple years ago."  
  
"That's cool."  
  
They were silent for a couple minutes, so Trent reached over and turned the radio on. He let out a small laugh as he said, "I love this band. Isn't that crazy?"  
  
Lauren grinned. "Me, too. And this song is really cool." Garbage was droning on about a Stupid Girl. The sound filled the car.  
  
"I like your shoes." Trent said suddenly, without looking at her.  
  
Lauren laughed again, "Well, why thank you."  
  
Trent grinned. Relief fluttered through his chest - he wasn't uncomfortable, he smiled more with her than he had in almost four years, and she was... she was different. He liked her.  
  
** 


	25. Alone Time

Haha so sorry about the delay: I can't believe I uploaded the wrong chapter to the wrong story. Sorry, I'm a retard. I also have this story posted at fictionpress, so if you check there... I update more frequently.  
  
**  
  
Trent pulled into a space just big enough to fit his car underneath the top floor. Lauren opened her door and stepped out, and heard Cut You In by Jerry Cantrell playing underneath the sound of people talking. Trent came up behind her and put his hand on the small of her back and then led her around the cement wall into a huge, open space where Milan's fish market was during the day. There light was a red glow, and in the corner was a huge, makeshift bar. The bartender was pulling bottles and glasses from under the counter and slid them down, reminded her almost of Coyote Ugly.  
  
The tables were filled with people, drinking, smoking, some eating. There was a large space near the back, and an open door in which Lauren could see stairs lit by a small, bluish light.  
  
"You want something to drink?" Trent asked.  
  
"Sure." She let him guide her to the bar, and smiled when the bartender looked up and instantly began to talk to him.  
  
"Ah, hey, Trent." Lauren noticed a slight Italian accent. "What can I get for you and your... exquisite lady friend, tonight?"  
  
Trent grinned, "Hey, Tom. I would like a Corona, and my exquisite lady friend," Trent winked at Lauren, "Would like...?"  
  
"A martini, shaken, not stirred, extra dry, please." Lauren grinned and looked up at Trent. "It's all Felice's fault - she taught me to drink."  
  
Trent just smiled, and took the frosted corona off the counter and watched Tom take out a jar of green olives and a bottle of dry Vermouth and another of gin.   
  
  
  
"Nice taste." Trent said and shrugged, taking a swig of his beer. He wasn't expecting it when Lauren reached up and grabbed the bottle, took a gulp, and handed it back to him. Trent stared at her before a slow, huge grin spread across his face.   
  
"Some girls know how to hold their liquor." She winked at him, like he had done only a few minutes ago, and turned to the bar to thank Tom who was watching them. She grabbed her martini and grabbed Trent's hand this time and led them to a table in the far back, farthest away from the speakers, where they could talk without yelling.  
  
Sitting down and sipping at her martini and then eating the olives, Lauren looked around, searching for any signs of the fish market.   
  
"You live upstairs?" She finally asked.  
  
Trent looked up at her, making Lauren's breath catch in her throat. His eyes looked a smoky black in the light, his tan, muscular face with perfect, but scarred skin, was shadowed. "Yep. I've lived there since I was just-turning twenty."  
  
Lauren nodded, "Do you like it?"  
  
"Yeah, it's not bad. It's large, open, and all I have to do is pay rent to Milan, who owns this whole place, and I can stay." He took a drink of his beer. "What about you - do you like your townhouse?" He eyed her curiously, watching her face.  
  
Lauren stirred her martini, looking down into the clear mixture, before answering. "Yes, I do, I really love it. I think that's just because I live with Robbie. Without him, it would be too big and too boring. The best thing about it is the view at night." She shrugged. "I'd much rather live here alone, though, then back at home."  
  
"Robbie - he's the guy who I borrowed clothes from, right?"  
  
Lauren smiled. "Yeah."  
  
"I need to give you back those clothes..."  
  
Lauren laughed, "No, no, don't worry about it. Robbie has so many clothes it makes me sick. He has like my closet times two. It's disgusting."  
  
Trent smirked. "Robbie - he's um, he's- what is he to you?" Trent stopped talking.  
  
"He's my lover. My best friend. My confidant. My... casual sex friend. Nothing too deep."  
  
Trent stared at her for a minute, his jaw slightly slack.  
  
Lauren reached over and touched his forearm that was resting on the table a minute before bursting into laughter. "I'm just joking. Robbie is... well, he's gay. He a gay, rich lawyer. The only true thing about what I said is that he's my best friend. Nothing to worry about, Trent."   
  
Trent laughed. "I was like... what the hell?" He gave a nervous laugh, kind of angry with himself for giving off that much obvious emotion. He coughed, and then looked down at his hands which were now wrapped tightly around the Corona bottle and at her small hand with her perfectly manicured nails still resting on his forearm. He concentrated on her long, thin fingers and then felt her remove her hand. He looked up at her, and saw a mysterious, curious look on her face.  
  
  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
  
  
"Where'd you used to live?"  
  
"I lived on the outskirts... near Elk Grove sort of. My sister and her boyfriend raised me, and we lived in a small, two-bedroom house. It wasn't that bad. I just missed my parents like crazy." He looked back down at his glass, not wanting to say anymore. He was pissing himself off enough.  
  
"What happened to them?" Lauren asked cautiously.  
  
  
  
Trent was silent for long, Lauren almost began to ask her qusetion again before he said, "They died in a car accident before I was a teenager."  
  
  
  
Lauren nodded, and began to ask about his scars but changed her mind. Not now. "How'd you meet Zeek?"  
  
"High school."  
  
"Oh." Lauren nodded. There was silence.  
  
"How'd you meet Robbie again?" Trent wanted to roll his own eyes at himself. Idiot.  
  
"Through Felice and Aiden. Didn't you meet Aiden in high school, too?"  
  
"Yeah."   
  
Lauren nodded, taking a huge sip of her martini. Still shaking her head she looked around, feeling awkward, with nothing to say.  
  
"Lauren, I feel really awkward." Trent finally said after what seemed like eternity.  
  
Lauren let out was sounded half like a hysterical laugh and half like a gasp and then put her hand to her mouth, smiling. "Yeah? Me, too."  
  
Trent gave a boyish half smile, and Lauren saw uncertainty and questions raging in his eyes before he closed them off from her. She loved his Italian, hooded, smokey-eyes. (A/N: Think John Mayer or Jesse Bradford .. grrrr ;-))  
  
Trent's smiled faded. Go for it, he thought. She's intriguing, she's gorgeous as hell, and she's into you and she doesn't seem like a slut or anything. Just do it. He opened his mouth and let the words flow out, "I've never been open with anyone for a while. There's something interesting, I don't know... intriguing about you and it's driving me insane." He concentrated harder on the label of the Corona, his large hands tightening on the chilled glass. "I don't know. I mean, that morning I found you downstairs buying fish and then we went to your place for lunch... I can't stop thinking about you. I've done some things in the past couple of years I'm rather... more than fucking ashamed of, and I'm not ready to talk about it but..." Lauren saw a high, red blush gathering on Trent's face as he looked up at her. "I like you, Lauren. I like you, a lot. And... if you don't have a problem with that, I wouldn't mind bothering you for a while."  
  
Lauren laughed, "Bothering me? Hardly."  
  
The dark cloud that seemed to be looming over Trent's head cleared up slightly and his dark eyes opened a little wider, as a half grin spread across his face again. "Well, then... What do you think about the band? I never really got to talk to you about it."  
  
Lauren smiled. "You guys are awesome..."  
  
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	26. My Sweet Prince

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(1 A.M.)  
  
Walking out into the chilly night air, music still droaning out of the bar, and cars still lining the streets, Lauren wrapped her arms around herself, clutching her jacket tighter, watching hers and Trent's breaths come out in frosty puffs.  
  
"I hate winter." She laughed.   
  
Trent looked up at her from where he was digging in his clothing for his cell phone, with a look that clearly said 'I'll warm you up' before it disappeared into disbelief. "Cell phone, where are you?" He said to himself.  
  
"Maybe it's in your car?"  
  
"Good idea." Trent began to walk to the space, and Lauren followed, narrowing her eye brows... Was he going to give her a ride back or was she going to have to walk? What the hell....  
  
Watching Trent's nicely shaped rear end wiggle as he searched the seat of the Mustang gave Lauren something to do as she stood with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to keep warm. She listened to him curse and his keys jangle against each other. Finally, she heard Trent exclaim, "Wah ha! It was on the dashboard." She watched him back out, and as though forgetting how tall he was he trying to stand up too soon.  
  
"Trent..."  
  
His beanied head banged against the inner car roof. "Shit... fuck... damnit... Christ... not cool."  
  
Trying to suppress a smile, she watched Trent rub his head as he turned his phone on. "It's one ten."  
  
"Oh... guess they're not out for coffee anymore."  
  
Smiling, Trent looked at her, with a sentry look in his eyes, mixed with something else. Lauren could never read his expressions. "Well, I hope you had a good time, anyway."  
  
Lauren's face lit up entirely, although she didn't know it. Smiling, "Yes, I did. I really had a great time." She reached out and touched his forearm again before wrapping it back around herself.  
  
"Oh, it's cold. Do you want a ride somewhere?"  
  
"Back to Fulmer's? I need my car."  
  
Trent gave her a small grin, and then nodded with his head, and got back in the car. He started it up, and then fiddled with heater. Lauren bumped a CD case with her foot and picked it up.   
  
Trent looked up and at her as he tried to find the switch to turn the heater on full blast in the dark. "Pick one."  
  
Startled, not knowing he was looking at her, Lauren just nodded. There was all sorts of music... Sublime, Saves the Day, Garbage, Poison the Well, AFI, Cold, among other things, she pulled out Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing CD, she handed it to him, and watched him slide it into the CD player. The title song began to play, and Trent said, "Good choice," as he finally slid a switch and hot air began to fill the car.  
  
Trent rose his hands to the heater before putting them on the steering wheel and releasing the break, "That's better."   
  
Nodding, Lauren opened her jacket and let the warm around surround her body. She cuddled into the thick jacket, and watched him drive as 'My Sweet Prince' began to play as they neared Fulmer's.   
  
She listened to Trent's deep, soft voice as it began to flow along with the song. She smiled to herself, watching him. He was so intriguing... just looking at him.  
  
They pulled into Fulmer's, and Trent pulled up behind her car. He looked over at her, as the song continued to play, making her light headed. "Well..." She sat up from where she had been slouching in the corner of the car.  
  
"Thanks, Trent. I had a great night." But she didn't get out of the car, and Trent didn't break eye contact.  
  
  
  
iMe and you, baby... Can flush all the pain away....  
  
So before I end my day, remember.....  
  
My sweet prince, you are the one...... My sweet prince,  
  
You are the one..... You are the one/i  
  
The voice completely drowned her senses, sounding almost exactly like Trent's. Before she knew it, she felt his breath on her face, and his lips met hers. He kissed her again before pulling back, and then kissed her softly, a painstakingly gentle touch. Their lips met once more before both pulled back, staring at each other before quickly looking away. Trent stared at the steering wheel, resting his hands on the bottom, and Lauren shoved her hair behind her ear. "Thanks, Trent. Night. Bye." She opened the car door, grabbed her bag, and stepped out.  
  
  
  
"Good night, Lauren. I'll see you later."  
  
Lauren closed the door and felt Trent watch her as she walked in front of his car to the driver's side of her own. She listened as his car crunched slowly over the gravel as he backed out. Her hands shaky, although she didn't want to know why, she finally found her keys and jammed them in the lock. Unlocking the door, she turned around and watched Trent speed away.  
  
Sighing, she rested against the car.   
  
These feelings sucked. Her chest hurt, her throat hurt...... Her head hurt.   
  
God... he was great for all the strangest reasons.  
  
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	27. Rampant Thoughts

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(6 P.M. - the next day)  
  
Trent rolled over, finally dragging himself out of bed. He hadn't gotten home until six that morning. He had driven around all of Sacramento before he finally got tired, and his brain hurt from the pictures of Lauren that seemed premanently burned into his skull.  
  
  
  
Sitting up and looking around blindly, he rubbed his eyes, then stretched his long, lean body by raising his lengthy arms. He groaned, then stood up and scratched at his ribs. He walked over to the mirror in front of the dresser and looked at himself, scratching his chin. "Hmph." He said, looking at his teeth. What the hell was she attracted to?  
  
He rubbed his hand over his whiskery jaw, he sure as hell needed a shave. He looked down at his muscular torso, and then realized his ribs were showing. Although they were covered by a layer of muscle, they still protuded just about as much as his hipbones did and Trent narrowed his eyes at it in the mirror. He needed to eat.  
  
Yawning, Trent blinked and then walked down the stairs, click play on the CD player. Marilyn Manson started singing The Nobodies Wormwood, Trent's favorite mix from the From Hell flick.  
  
He sleepily walked into the kitchen, his bare feet moving slowly over the black and white tiles. He opened the fridge and stared at it, feeling drowsy and bleak. Closing the refridgerator door, he sat down on a metal chair with a red built-it seat cover and stared out the window.   
  
He wanted to do something; go outside and enjoy the chilly night. Lauren popped into his brain again, and he closed his eyes, leaning his head back. His chest tightened and his pulse sped up, which pissed him off for reasons he hated to admit. He didn't want to want her this much, especially not this fast. Just being around her made him feel better about him self. Her special smile that lit her whole face up drove him insane, making his palms sweat and his heart pound against his ribs painfully. He felt like a fucking thirteen year old again. He wanted to erase his past, he wanted to be seventeen again. Maybe if he had met her earlier, things would be different. "But how? What would be different?" Trent said to himself. He was more open with her than he was with anyone else, and it seemed the only thing they weren't doing was having sex. His body tightened at just the thought of it. He wanted to hate her because he hated himself and he didn't deserve her; he had had one, no, more than two dozen too many one night stands, sleeping with anyone who was willing then running away.   
  
I am such a fucking coward, he thought. She'll probably think I'm some sex-starved, intercourse-obsessed freaky animal.  
  
Groaning, Trent ran his hand through his thick hair and opened his eyes. What if she wanted something from him he couldn't give? Trent's mouth quirked to the side, his eyes glazed over from the sleepy thoughts. He could give her his body... but... he wanted to wait. Maybe this was something that might work out? Who knew? And, he told himself, the best things in life are worth waiting for, right? How the hell do I know she's the best thing? Trent let his breath out slowly. He didn't, but, it was worth a shot. But tonight, he couldn't be around her. He wanted to loose himself in her, bury himself in her, in more ways than one, and he knew it was too soon. He didn't want to jeoperdize (a/n: I can't spell worth crap right now, sorry.) anything that might, just might, be going on between them.   
  
Changing the subject in his mind Trent began to think. Another idea came to mind. He grabbed his cell phone off the table and turned it on to text Aiden. Maybe they could do something tonight? Raising his eyebrows and puckering his mouth in deep thought, deep, thin grooves appeared on his forehead. He clicked the numbers for letter and finally sent the message: Aiden, meet me Harlow's after work. What time does your shift get off?  
  
Setting the phone on the table, Trent got up and made himself some coffee, and was pouring it when his phone began to beep loudly. Carrying the mug in his left hand, he made his way back to the table across the kitchen and clicked a button, and a message appeared: I get off at 8:30, thank God. See you at Harlow's at 845.  
  
Trent grinned. He could get out of the house.   
  
  
  
Sipping the hot coffee, he stood up and walked into the bathroom. Tonight, he could bare his soul, if he still had one of those, so his mind about Lauren, to Aiden. 


	28. Surprise at Harlow's

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(9:06 P.M. - Harlow's bar and grill)  
  
Trent sat on a stool in the dimly lit bar. TV screens were the only bright light in the smoke-filled room, other than the coloured-glass shades over the lights that hung from the ceiling. He twirled a Corona bottle in his hand and stared at his reflection in the glass behind the decanters and bottles. He ran a hand over his now smooth jaw and through his wild back hair. He wore a long sleeve, navy blue buttondown shirt, open at the cuffs so they flared slightly over his hands and unbuttoned down the front one button too much and tight Levi's.   
  
  
  
Trent was completely oblivious to the women in the room staring at him, whispering behind their hands and glasses about the "gorgeous man at the bar." He shifted, pulling his right sleeve up to look at his watch, then took a swig of beer.  
  
Aiden was late.  
  
Suddenly, Trent heard someone slid in beside him. A beautiful woman with long, thick black hair that matched her eyes, dark tan skin, and he could already tell with the slinky backless halter and tight jeans, a volutous figure. She eyed him, then gave a sexy smile. "Hey there."  
  
Trent looked at her, felt nothing. Suddenly, Lauren's face came to mind. "Hi." He said simply.  
  
The woman scooted a bit closer on the stood, running her hand over his forearm. Trent didn't flinch.  
  
She eyed him, obvious want and desire glowing in her eyes. "I'm Adriana. And you are?" She asked in a sultry voice.  
  
Trent tried not to look annoyed. His chest was tightening with displeasure, which completely surprised him. Had this been a month ago, he would have been open to her antics completely... with his hands, eyes, and mouth. Sure, they probably would've wound up in bed and afterward, never see each other again, but things were different now.  
  
  
  
"Trent Grey." He replied, his voice rather flat.  
  
  
  
"Ooh, Trent. I like that." She just about purred it out, and he knew if she scooted any closer, his arm would be between her breasts. He wanted to scoot away. This Adriana girl represented his resentful past and the things he wanted most to dispose of.  
  
"Are you here alone?" Trent looked at her with amused sarcasm in his eyes. He half expected her to lick her lips slowly, considering the look in her jet black eyes.  
  
"Uh..." A sudden movement by the door caught Trent's attention. Another gorgeous male walked in; Aiden. Trent grinned. "Actually... I was waiting for my boyfriend." He grinned.  
  
Adriana crooked an eyebrow, her face completely devoid of all her earlier desire, now replaced by a look of total disbelief. "Huh?"  
  
Aiden spotted Trent and walked over. He was still wearing his navy blue police pants but he wore a tight black shirt instead of the button up. "Trent," he began as he walked over. "Hey." He said, then spotted Adriana. "Hi. Um, who are you?"   
  
Suddenly, Trent grabbed Aiden's hand and then stood up, his back to Adriana and widened his eyes at Aiden, hoping he'd get the message. He then leaned forward and kissed Aiden, long and hard, on the mouth. Then, turning back to Adriana, whose mouth was now slightly slacked, asked, "Would you like me to buy you a drink?"  
  
Adriana stood up. "Um, you know what, I better go. See you around."  
  
Trent grinned at Aiden, who wiped his mouth quickly. "What the fuck was that about, man?"  
  
  
  
They took their places at the stools, and Trent turned his head, motioning for Aiden to do the same. Aiden and Trent watched her make her way back to her friends, stand with her hands on her hips and say something to them. All at once, the group went, "Oohh!"  
  
Trent snorted and began to laugh and Aiden chuckled. "Dude, she was hot." Aiden said, nodding at the bartender who looked at him. "Guiness."  
  
Trent sobered. "Yeah, well, no interest on my part. That's why I called you here."  
  
Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Huh. You ARE gay?" He emphasized, taking a sip of the Irish beer the bartender had just placed in front of him.  
  
Trent laughed. "No, man, hell no. I, uh... I wanted to talk to you about Lauren." 


	29. That's The Spirit

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casselinebell - Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it.  
  
To everyone else who reviewed - thanks :). Means a lot.  
  
*******  
  
Aiden laughed, "What about her?"  
  
Trent shrugged, picking up the Corona he was spinning between his hands and took a drink. He set it on the shiny wood of the bar with a clink. He ran his hand through his hair in an aggitated gesture. "I don't know..." He began to rub his chest, which seemed to get painfully tight more frequently.  
  
"Well?" Aiden prodded. "What are you getting at with her?"  
  
Trent shifted uncomfortable. "I don't know where to begin."  
  
Aiden gave him a queer look, confused. "You like her, don't you?"  
  
"Well, yeah... I mean, who wouldn't? She's a sweet girl." He said, still shifting.  
  
Aiden turned to him, setting his beer down and studied his friends face. "You're still not obsessing over Lanie are you? Come on, five years. And Lauren IS a great girl."  
  
"I know." Trent cut him off too sharply, giving him a glare. "I know," he said, taking the edge off his voice.  
  
Aiden's eyebrows came together in a frown. "Have you slept with her?"  
  
Trent's head shot around to stare at his friend in disbelief. "No, why would you ask that?"  
  
Aiden shrugged. "Well... She has a past."  
  
Trent shrugged that off. "Not as bad as mine."  
  
Aiden looked down into the dark liquid in the glass cup he was holding in between his hands. "Were you sleeping around, Trent?" He looked over at his friend. "I mean, honestly. Felice is worried about you, too. But she's noticed you've been changing since you met Lauren."  
  
Trent's head bowed even lower. He was quiet for so long, Aiden thought he wasn't going to answer so he began to ask again, when Trent said, "Yeah, I was sleeping around. I mean, Aiden, I was sleeping with girls I didn't even know; I didn't know their fucking names." Trent shook his head in self-disgust. "But then I met Lauren, and she's like... the most wholesome girl I know, you know what I mean? She and Felice are a lot alike," He added. "She... I don't know, but I mean I look at her smile and the way it lights up her face and shit and God damnit... It makes me regret everything and feel disgusting. She makes me want to forget the casual sex and actually have a relationship with her." He was quiet for a moment, not daring to look at Aiden. "I mean, I slept with Melanie the first night I met her. I was what? Eighteen? Now I'm twenty five, and in less than three months I'm going to be twenty six, and I haven't settled down, don't have a permanent career... I have nothing to offer her except my body, me, and why would she want that?"  
  
When Aiden didn't reply at all, Trent turned and saw the look of amazement on his face. "Dude, you are in deep."  
  
Trent narrowed his eybrows. "What?"  
  
"You're like, half in love with her already. I was just like you when I met Felice. And I love Felice to death."  
  
Trent was taken aback. "It's not love, man, it's like... a deep liking."  
  
Aiden chuckled. "Sure, buddy. When did you know you were in love with Melanie?"  
  
Trent thought for a moment. "A year after we had sex."  
  
Aiden grinned, he had set his trap perfectly around Trent. "Yep, and how did it FEEL?"  
  
Trent began to answer then closed his mouth. He almost said "Like this".   
  
Aiden laughed, then patted Trent on the shoulder. "Yep."  
  
Embarrassed, Trent tried to change the subject. "What did you mean when you said 'Lauren has a past'? What'd you mean by that?"  
  
Aiden stopped smiling. "Well, I mean, it's not a secret and I'm sure if you asked her... She just, she doesn't sleep around, or anything."  
  
Trent gave him an odd look. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Aiden ran a hand through his dark blonde hair. "She was going out with a cop last year, and she cheated on him... Stuff happened. I'm just saying be careful."  
  
Trent didn't say anything. "So you're saying if I do get with Lauren to watch out and make sure she's not stabbing me in the back?"  
  
Aiden shrugged. "I don't know. Just stuff Felice tells me."  
  
Trent shrugged it off, trying to get the uneasy feeling out of his chest. "I will talk to her about it. And THEN, I'm going to ask her out on a date."  
  
Aiden grinned. "That's the spirit."  
  
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(Aiden and Felice's Apartment)  
  
  
  
Aiden walked into the master bedroom at the back of the house and took off his shirt as he smiled at Felice, who was dressed in a white silk and lace chemise with black-rimmed glasses perched on her face and a notebook in her hand. "Hey, love, how was work?"  
  
"Fine, long." He undid the velcro on the black belt and unbuttoned his pants. "Sorry I'm late, I met with Trent."  
  
Felice looked back up at her, shifting her knees under the soft cotton white sheets. "Oh?"  
  
"Yeah, he wanted to talk about Lauren." He walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and watched Felice in the mirror as she set her things on the nightstand and got out of bed to come to him. "What about her?"  
  
"He likes her." Aiden began to brush his teeth and smiled with his eyes at Felice as she wrapped her slim arms around his narrow waist. He switched hands and reached out to draw her tighter to his side. Spitting, he said, "I don't know what to think."  
  
Felice rested her head on his shoulder and looked at him in the mirror. "Hmm... So I was right." She grinned.  
  
Aiden rinsed his mouth and put his toothbrush in the holder before turning to his girlfriend and kissing her on the lips. "Yeah."  
  
"Come here and show me how much you like me."  
  
Aiden grinned.  
  
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	30. What A Nice Butt

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(Trent's Loft - Tuesday, 8:45 A.M.)  
  
Trent tied up the laces on his tennis shoes and then pulled a black beanie over his hair to match the rest of his outfit. Putting a stick of gum in his mouth as he walked out into the large opening outside his door, he locked it and then went down the steps and out into the market, saying good morning to Milan.  
  
He then began to jog to the park down the street and ran around it once, watching the people walk by with dogs and weights. Placebo was blasting in his headphones, and he felt awake. He would stop by Lauren's shop right... Looking at his watch, he realized he had been out for half an hour. Grinning, he said "Right now" out loud, his breath coming out in a puff of smoke.  
  
Running down the street with Placebo singing Nancy Boy, he jogged down the always-busy streets of downtown Sacramento. He smiled at the businesspeople who walked by in their suits, the children and teens on their way to where ever, by the tall skyscrapers and small shops and cars. Finally making it into the nicest part of Sacramento, he slowed down at Starbucks, which he realized was only two blocks away from the bookshop. Grinning, he pulled his wallet from his back pocket and walk in.  
  
He walked out with two mochas twelve minutes later.  
  
Making his way up the street, always oblivious to the women who gave him the tempting smile or turned around to stare, he realized he liked this feeling. Bringing coffee to a great girl who would great him with that great smile of hers. He felt happy for once, a light shining through his dull senses. How the hell that this had happened? Especially in so short a time, Trent had no idea. He figured he better not dwell on it or it would basically jinx everything... Not that he was superstitious or anything.  
  
. Trent grinned at a girl who walked by him and began to sing with the music, "Embrasse Moi, met ton doigt dans mon cul". The teen grinned wildly, making Trent smile back. Yep, life was looking up. He'd think about Melanie later.  
  
Spotting the shop, he sped up a little, feeling like a twelve-year-old going to his first dance. Trent laughed at himself and then walked into the shop, where a plain looking girl with thin brown hair and round glasses sat. "Hi. Is Lauren here?"  
  
The girl stared at him for a moment before standing up. "Uh.. yeah.. um. Hold on."  
  
Trent smiled at her, making the girl drop her pen. As she began to turn she tripped over the leg of the chair. In an embarrassed stupor she turned around and sped away. Trent grinned.  
  
**  
  
Marie came around the corner where Lauren was marking books. "Lauren, there is something gorgeous out there waiting for you with coffee. Where the hell did you land that?"  
  
Lauren gave her a confused look, "I'm not sure." She laughingly replied, then made her way up to the front desk, where she saw Trent. "Oh!" She laughed. "Hey, Trent." She walked around the cherry desk and kissed his cheek, and accepted the coffee he extended to her. "Thank you." She took a sip, wrapping her other arm around her waist, which was covered in dark-coloured striped wool turtleneck. She took another sip, "Thank you so much! Just what I needed - it's so cold out there, it's getting in here."  
  
Trent just smiled.  
  
Lauren laughed. "Are you going to say something?"  
  
Trent looked at her, taking a sip of coffee. "How would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?" He asked. Well, he'd get around to 'asking her' about the other ordeal later.  
  
Lauren smiled at him. "Sure."   
  
Trent nodded. "Great."  
  
Looking behind him, still smiling, she tried to find his car. "Did you walk here?"  
  
"Jog, ran, walk. It was great."  
  
Lauren laughed, wrinkling her little nose. "I can't see you jogging."  
  
Trent smiled. "Yeah, neither can I. I just had to get out of the house and I didn't feel like driving so..."  
  
Lauren looked him up and down unoticeably. He wore a black hoodie with a red NonPoint logo, black windbreaker pants. His black hair stuck out in places from under the black beanie. "You look nice." Trent said, motioning up and down at her outfit that consisted of a tight, quartersleeve blood red low v-neck shirt, a large metal oval necklace, and snug jeans with a black belt that matched her boots. "Thanks." She grinned.  
  
"So..." Trent said. "Where do you want to go to dinner?"  
  
Lauren smiled. "Why don't you decide?"  
  
Trent grinned at her, "Dressy or no?"  
  
"Umm... Well, I just bought this great new dress so how about dressy?"  
  
Trent cocked his head in thought. "Have you ever been to Acquerello? Do you like Italian food?"  
  
"I've never been there - where is it? And yes, I love Italian."  
  
"It's in San Fransisco..." He began pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and hid it in his sleeve.  
  
Lauren nodded. "How about I pick you up at six thirty?" He asked. "I get off work at three, so yep..."  
  
He grinned, kissed her cheek, and then nodded at the girl behind the counter and left.  
  
Marie let out a chuckle, "Girl, you're in trouble."  
  
Lauren stuffed her hands in her back pockets, laughing nervously. "Why do you say that?"  
  
"Trouble because that is the most gorgeous man I've ever seen next to Stuart Townsend, okay? You watch your heart and make sure he's worth it, which he better be with that butt..."  
  
  
  
Lauren laughed.  
  
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	31. She'll Eat Your Ass With a Spoon

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(Trent's Loft - 6 P.M.)  
  
"I did it." Trent said when Aiden picked up the phone.  
  
"You did what?" Aiden asked, who was lounging on the sofa.  
  
"I asked Lauren to dinner."  
  
Aiden sat up and smiled at Felice when she walked into the room, holding a large gilded frame. "He asked Lauren to dinner," he mouthed, making her grin. "Where are you going to take her?"  
  
Trent searched through his rack of clothes for something acceptable. "Some place expensive."  
  
Aiden laughed, "Okay... where is that?"  
  
"Acquerello, remember, we went there when you and Felice got together. In San Fransisco," he added.  
  
"Oh, yeah, that fancy place." Aiden laughed, "You didn't take Lanie there, did you?" Aiden cursed him self, he hadn't meant to ask that.  
  
"No." Trent said, his mood going grim at the mention of her name. "Come on, man, I'm trying to let go. That's what you guys keep telling me to do." He pulled out a navy blue Raulph Lauren polo shirt that had been in the armoire forever.  
  
Aiden scratched his head as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He noticed that Trent had been acting out of character for a while... but maybe this was a turn for the better instead of the worst. "Yeah, that's true. Sorry, man. But that's awesome, she said yeah?"  
  
"Well, no shit. She seemed pretty happy about it."  
  
Aiden could hear the even more uncharacteristic grin in Trent's voice. "Yeah, she likes you. Well, get ready or she'll eat your ass with a spoon for being late."  
  
Trent grinned and hung up.  
  
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(Townhouse - 6:00)  
  
After a quick, hot shower and applying her makeup carefully, Lauren unwrapped the towel from her body and put her Chinese silk robe and then her slippers on. She went up to her room to get dressed before doing her hair.  
  
"Robbie" The word sounded like a high pitched squeal... her tattered nerves had finally had it. "What looks better on me? Red, black, or white?!" When she didn't hear a reply she screamed, "ROBBIE!!!"  
  
Robbie was right outside her door when she screamed and chuckled, twirling his spoon in his hot chocolate. "Yes?"  
  
"I don't know what to wear!" She said in a whimpery, soft voice. Lauren smiled at him then as she sat down on her bed.  
  
"Going out with Trent, I'm guessing?"  
  
Lauren nodded, wiggling her slippers so the bunny heads bobbled.  
  
Robbie grinned, glad to see Lauren this frustrated over someone. Usually, she intimidated men and didn't really fuss over them... almost as if they were just passing amusements, except for a random few. But now, he could tell she genuinely liked this guy since she was usually laid-back and cool about everything but was acting high strung and worried. His grin widened. "Hmmm..." Robbie made his way into her closet and being rummaging around. Five minutes later, silver pearl-encrusted open toed stilettoes flew from the closet and Robbie stepped out with a knee-length Marilyn Monroe-esque dress with intricate beading up and down the front she had bought a year ago on a trip to New York. "You're going to a fancy place, right?"  
  
"Pretty sure."  
  
Robbie held it out to her. "You'll be beautiful." He placed the dress in his hands and kissed her. "But you're beautiful no matter what you wear, my exquisite girl. I'm going out with Davis again so if you're home before I am..." Robbie winked at her and smiled as she laughed.  
  
"Thank you so much, Robbie."  
  
**  
  
Twenty minutes later, Lauren was dressed, her lips red, eyes smokey grey, and her hair parted on the side and flipped in a 50's style that framed her face. Grabbing a purse on a long silver chain, she walked down the stairs where Robbie was straightening his shirt in the mirror. Seeing her, he turned around and grinned. "You almost make me feel straight."  
  
"Almost? I hope Trent doesn't feel 'almost.'" She joked.   
  
"I highly doubt that," he said with a leering smile.  
  
  
  
A knock sounded on the door and Robbie went to see who it was. "Go get a coat, dear." He said in a fatherly-manner, making Lauren smile.  
  
Robbie opened the door after Lauren had disappeared up the stairs. "Hello." He said casually, letting Trent in. "Trent, right?"  
  
Trent gave a half smile. "Yeah, and you're Robbie?"  
  
Trying his best not to check Trent out in his jade green button down shirt and black slacks that looked out of place over his dark gray Vans and the intense good looks of his face, Robbie just smirked and offered his hand, feeling very much like a dad. "Yes, I am. Lauren just went upstairs to get a jacket."  
  
Trent nodded, and then turned around when he heard soft clicks on the stairs. His breath caught in his throat, his brain sent shocks straight to his heart and then to his groin. His eyes wide, he didn't say anything as he helped Lauren into her fur-lined coat and almost jumped back as she touched his arm. "Hi. You look nice."  
  
Clearing his throat and looking at Robbie, who had the 'You are Mr. Obvious, buddy' written all over his face, he smiled at her and then offered his arm. "And you look gorgeous, my lady. Shall we go?"  
  
Laughing at his gallant-ness, Lauren nodded and then kissed Robbie's cheek on the way out. "See you in the morning?"  
  
Nodding, Robbie saw them out.  
  
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	32. The Waterfront

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(7:45)  
  
  
  
The ride to San Fransisco had been uneventful. The conversation was small, the music flowing through the car, the silence comfortable.   
  
Trent pulled the car into the parking lot of the restaurant, which was a large, antique-looking brick building with potted plants and accenting lights and the entrance were large French doors with gold hinges. The building was two stories, with several windows lining the upper story, with window boxes filled with bright flowers spilling over. Above every upper window was an onning in green and white stripes.  
  
Lauren got out of the car, wrapped her coat around her in the frosty air, and listened as Trent closed and locked the doors and then he was beside her, taking her hand. She smiled up at him.  
  
"Did I tell you you look nice tonight?" He asked as they walked toward the building.  
  
Her smile widened. "Yes, but you can say it as many times as you'd like."  
  
Grinning at her, he opened the door for her and placed his hand on the small of her back... almost possessively. He helped her out of her coat, and it didn't miss his eye the men that turned their heads and women who scowled at their partners to look at his date.   
  
Trent beamed as he led them to a tall, handsome black man in a nice black suit behind a lage, marble counter. "Hey, Trent. Are you on the list?"  
  
"Hey Josh." Trent nodded at him.  
  
  
  
"Well, it wouldn't matter if you were or not." Josh laughed, then led them to their table, which was on the second floor near a large window. The entire place was packed with nicely attired people, but it was quiet with nice music flowing.  
  
After they were seated, Lauren smiled at Trent then propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Come here much?"   
  
Trent smiled back. "Once in a while."  
  
Lauren sat up straight, her tapered fingernails picking at the blue and white linen. She was thinking about something to say, but with the way Trent was staring at her in a way she doubted even he knew he was doing, she was speechless. A waiter came and saved her.  
  
"Hello, welcome to the Waterfront. My name is Chessie and I'll be serving you this evening." She handed them two leather-bound menus with the name of the restaurant scrawled in gold across the front. "I'll be with you in a moment."  
  
Chessie moved away and they both opened their menus. "I hope you like Italian food... I forgot to ask."  
  
Lauren looked up at him, blue eyes meeting striking silver. She gave a bright smile, trying to keep her breath from catching in her throat. "It's my favorite, honestly."  
  
Trent nodded then looked out the window. "That looks really neat."  
  
Lauren looked out the large window and saw the neat lines of buildings and the city lights of San Fransisco and then, just a little far off, Golden Gate Bridge. "It is, very beautiful." She said almost breathlessy. The moon was reflecting on the ocean, making waves and ripples visible even from where they were. Moonlight washed the mountains and the bridge, and Lauren could have sworn she'd never seen the moon so close to the earth.  
  
"Very beautiful." Trent repeated, and Lauren felt his eyes on her. She felt like a naïve teenager again... and decided she liked the feeling.  
  
A while later, they ordered, and they sat in a shroud of silence. "I feel like a hormonal eighteen-year-old all over again." Trent laughed, running his hand through his crazy black hair.  
  
Lauren let out a half giggle half breath of air and blushed. "Yes, I know what you mean."  
  
Trent touched her hand, which was lying on the table, and then grabbed it and turned it over so he could see the bracelet. "This is really pretty."  
  
"Thanks, I saw it one day when I was out with Felice and I just had to have it."  
  
'I would buy things like this for you all the time if...' Trent wanted to bash his head in for his thoughts. "I can see why." He placed her hand back down, but instead of letting go, just rested his hand on top of hers. He studied her face in the light of the candles on the table and dimly lit chandelier overhead, watched her slow, almost... sensual smile slide over her face. He suddenly wished he was eighteen again, maybe it wouldn't be so hard for him to understand why he didn't want to want her as much as he did. Maybe he wouldn't feel that twinge of guilt every time he thought about her... and that twinge was getting annoying because it happened a hell of a lot.   
  
He also wished he was eighteen again for a lot of reasons... but then again, what if he had met Lanie first again? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he banished them to the back of his mind. "Do you miss Louisiana?" He said out of nowhere.  
  
Lauren's face dropped a little, and if he hadn't been staring at her it wouldn't have been noticable because she lit back up right away. "No, not really. I love California because I don't have people hounding me every day about my father or my parents' relationship. You know how people are... my parents were celebrities basically in town because of their infamous fights, and our neighbors would gossip... Plus, him being senator and everything..." Lauren shook her head, rolling her eyes slightly. "And the weather is a lot nicer in California, too. Baton Rouge was so humid, but it was lovely."  
  
Trent nodded. "Your parents - Meredith and Jake, right? - don't divorce or anything?" He questioned.  
  
  
  
"Oh," Lauren let out a small laugh. "No... no, because it was cause this scandal or something terrible. My mother calls just about every month to tell me she's ready to leave my father or something but it never happens." She shook her head, waving her other hand as if to clear the air of her thoughts.  
  
"My parents fought sometimes, too, but they were really great." Trent surprised himself by bringing them up. He hadn't talked about them since they died. "I really miss them."  
  
"What were their names?"  
  
"My dad's name was Andrew, everyone called him Drew... my mother, Alex, called him Nancy Drew," he said with a slight, sad smile, but not breaking eye contact like he usually did when he got uncomfortable or nervous. Instead he just shifted in his seat, tightening his grip on her hand, though he didn't realize it. He caught Lauren's questioning look and explained, "See, one night, she caught my dad in my sister's room and he was sitting there reading Nancy Drew. It just kind of stuck."  
  
Lauren smiled. "That really is neat. My parents were never like that."  
  
"They used to dance, too. I remember. I would peer around the wall and watch them dance. Sometimes in the living room, other times in the kitchen. It was just fun times until they died."  
  
Lauren's smile faltered, and she decided he didn't want to hear any sympathy words, and the arrival of two waiters carrying platters with their food saved her yet again.   
  
A large porcelein plate with ravioli and red sauce was placed in front of Lauren, along with a huge cup of mocha cappuccino and an empty wine glass. A plate of fettuccine alfredo with chicken and broccoli was placed in front of Trent, and an empty wine glass. Chessie opened the wine bottle Trent had ordered and poured it into Trent's glass until it was half full. Trent thanked her.  
  
"Would you like some, miss?"  
  
"Yes, thank you." Lauren watched the rich, blood red wine fill her glass and smiled at Chessie when she was done.  
  
Lauren took a sip of her wine. "This is really good." She took another sip.  
  
Trent picked his own glass up and took a sip. His eyebrows rose and he looked at her. "A toast, my lady." He admired her smile. "To good wine and..."  
  
"Good... relationships." Lauren laughed.  
  
Together, they laughed and clinked their glasses together.  
  
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	33. Almost There

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(A/N: This chapter is why this story is rated R... and it's not even as bad as future chapters. So.. if you don't like stuff like this.. just go ahead and skip it :). Thanks for reading.)  
  
(11:00 - Townhouse)  
  
Trent walked Lauren to her front door, and stood with his hands tucked into his pockets, smiling at her, still dazzled by her.  
  
Their breaths came out in smoky puffs and Lauren stuff her hands in the fur- lined pockets of her coat. Trent shuffled his feet then looked up at her, his eyes an eerie silver black in the dim light. "Do you want to come in?" She asked.  
  
Trent tried to keep his grin and his stance casual. "Um... sure."  
  
Lauren smiled at him and unlocked the door, letting them in. The air was chilly inside the hall and Lauren ran her hands up and down her arms after taking her coat off. After turning on the overhead lights, she showed Trent into the formal living room with it's large, overstuffed chairs, cherry wood side tables with ornate lamps with beautiful beaded lampshades sitting on them, and lounge chaises, all surrounding a large fireplace with shelves of books or antiques on either side.  
  
"It'll take the heater forever to warm this place up, so I'll just light a fire."  
  
Trent nodded, and watched as Lauren sat in front of the fireplace, the pleated, billowy skirt of her dress surrounding her, reminding him of a young princess. Shaking his head, he smiled at her, still not sure what to say, as she stood. She studied him for a moment before giving him a strange look and asked, "Would you like some wine or something?"  
  
Shaking his head, Trent stepped forward, his eyes intent on hers. Her face was half shadowed, her eyes glittering. He felt Lauren reach up and run her fingers over the sharp ridges of his face. Cupping the side of her face, he bent and kissed her slowly, then pulled away, unsure. Was it the firelight, her beauty, or just too much wine causing him to feel like this or was he actually ready to move on? Or maybe he had been abstinent too long...  
  
It was her, he decided. Everything about her was beautiful. He kissed her again, a little roughly, separating her lips with his teeth. He felt her hands slide up his back and he twisted so he could gently place her in the ornate, overstuffed chair behind them. Trent got on his knees between her spread legs. Putting his hands on to arms of the chair and kissing her deeply, he placed one hand on her knee, and when she didn't protest, he placed his other hand on her knee. He heard a small whimper from her throat and he ran his hand up her thigh, where he could feel the heat of her. Not certain how far it would go tonight, he left it there.  
  
Their mouths still moving against each other, both bodies feeling the same needs and wants, Lauren pushed Trent's other hand higher on her thigh. Half rising off his knees to kiss her harder, he gently removed her panties, helping her slide out of the lacy underclothes. She groaned quietly, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and moved her lips across his cheeks, forehead, chin... anywhere they could brush across. "Touch me, Trent." She finally breathed out.  
  
She could feel Trent's breath hot and smooth against her cheeks as his hand moved all the way up, stroking her... Lauren noted that he knew what he was doing. He definitely knew, but she wasn't surprised. She arched her back a tiny bit more, and then felt him gently push his thumb inside her, his fingers massaging her.   
  
Pulling back to watch her face as her eyelids fluttered shut, her tiny white teeth peeking out as she bit her pouty bottom lip and her hands gripped the arms of the large chair, he smiled, moving his hand so he went deeper.   
  
Lauren felt like she was going to sink into the plush cushion. Little gasps of breath escaped her lips as he exchanged his thumb for two... then three fingers. Lauren gripped the chair, trying not to moan out loud as she rode Trent's hand. She felt Trent gently press his lips against her shoulder and then her throat, using his other hand to unclasp the back of the dress and pull it down over her breasts. He kissed her chest as he kept half his mind on his fingers, finding the places he knew she would get the most pleasure from.  
  
Her breasts were cupped by a tiny white strapless bra, and instead of taking it off... and idea sprang into his mind. He removed his hand from under her skirt and then began to move lower.  
  
Lauren felt it the instant he left her body, and almost cried out. "Trent..."  
  
"Shh..." Trent pushed her skirt up to her waist and tenderly cupped her thighs, pulling her all the way to the edge of the chair. Pushing her so he laid back, he took her into his mouth. This time, Lauren did cry out, his tongue wreaking havoc on her body.  
  
Finally, she came and Trent almost grinned as her fingers tightened and loosened in his hair as her body had gentle spasms. Trent came up and kissed her cheeks. Lauren gently slid her hands under the fabric of his shirt.  
  
The minute he felt her soft hands over the welts and thick scars on his back, Trent froze, all warmth leaving his body. He stood up abruptly, swearing, running a hand through his hair in an aggravated motion.  
  
"Trent?" He barely heard Lauren.  
  
"I gotta go..." Trent pulled his shirt down then retrieved his keys from the side table and quickly walked out of the room.  
  
Lauren was at his side almost instantly. "Trent, stop. What's the matter?"  
  
Trent stared at her with pain-stricken eyes. No, he wasn't ready. Lauren's accent was thicker and he could see, even in the dull lights, her cheeks and breasts were rosy, her eyes almost bright as a summer day, looking feverish. He had never been more turned on nor seen anyone sexier... but if he wanted this to last, these... too damn fucking intense feelings... he'd have to wait and see.  
  
Forcing his shoulders to relax, he cupped her face, trying to help her relax. He leaned in, his face just a few inches from her, then picked up her hand and kissed her palm. "Not tonight, Lauren." Before she could say anything, he kissed her again, but she didn't miss the look in his eyes.   
  
Trent gently moved her out of the way and went out the door.  
  
Lauren sighed when she heard him drive away.  
  
What had caused that?  
  
Sad and even more confused beyond words, Lauren quietly closed the front door then made her way upstairs. 


End file.
